Have you dared?

One year and 70 copywriters later, it's hard to believe that the fourth Future Writer's Lab has come to a close.

Have you done it yet?

Debi Bester, course lead and DMA Writer-in-Residence, surely kept to her promise from day one - this is not a 'how' course, it's a 'do' course.

Having co-facilitated the sessions with Debi, I can tell you that over the five weeks, the class 'does' everything from selling famous works of art to creating branded novels, from rewriting Zagot-rated restaurant menus to concepting, crafting and launching their very own one-to-one-to-millions campaigns.

But before Debi drew last night's fourth class to a close, she asked the writers to share the lessons they'd pass on to future writers (this is the Future Writers' Lab after all ...)

Some were newbies, others were old hands. Here's a taster of just 10 lessons they passed on:

#1 Have conviction in yourself as an ideator and writer and don't let it go.

#2 Make every communication you write a drama that the consumer plays a role in.

#3 You're not writing a piece of copy, you're creating an experience.

#4 Don't just speak to the person you're speaking to, but the person their speaking to (that's the way to create contagious communications).

#5 If you're selling something, make it easy for the reader to buy (step by step!).

#6 Go back to the shop floor and get to know what you're selling, who you're selling it to and why it best serves their needs.

#7 Immerse yourself in the brand story - it will inspire you (and the customer) more than the features and benefits.

#8Think about what could prevent your customer from responding and overcome their barriers/objections.

#9 If you don't believe in what you're selling, neither will your customer - find the truth and tell it well (nods to McCann).

#10 The power in writing is in the rewriting (and rewriting).

What inspiration! I know I certainly have made more than a few notes as they added more than 40 lessons into the growing bank of learning Debi has been collecting with each module.

But perhaps what has inspired me most over these modules has been the connection made among the writers. When Debi and the DMA set out on this journey, their goal was to create a 'community' of copywriters. A close network of writers who feel they can share ideas, compare drafts and simply belong to something bigger and more impactful.

At the end of year one, I think I can safely say that mission has been accomplished. But experiments are never complete, we toy, we tinker, we play. What's the next chapter in our Campaign for great British copywriting story? Apparently, the DMA are working with Debi on a few drafts now. Watch this space.