A Companion to Composition by Hugh Rank http://webserve.govst.edu/pa | HOME |

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The more that you are aware of the limits imposed on ads and their writers, the better able you are to understand your own limits in the writing process.

Every composer has certain basic limits - of available time and space, of money and materials - and often other technical and legal limits. Some limits are fixed, rigid, and absolute; others are flexible, loose, and relative.

Space limits often determine the structure and inner organization of the whole.

Time limits can relate both to the product itself (e.g. a 30-second spot or a 3 minute speech) and to the composition process (the available preparation time). Writers must deal effectively with deadlines and time-planning.

Technical limits will vary with the situation, but cost ($$$) is usually the major limit; composers always have to live within a budget. Ideas for TV ads are often limited by the cost of sets, locations, and costumes. In school and work situations, most writers cannot afford luxuries in equipment or services. Mechanical limits exist in the various machines (computers, copiers) which writers use. Human limits exist. People have varying physical and mental limits, abilities, and potencies.

Legal limits on ads usually relate to buyer/seller issues (such as fraud and deception) or business issues (copyright, trade marks, brand names, libel). FTC regulations of ads often involve major ideological conflicts between conservatives and liberals.

Legal issues are not as prominent in student writing, but problems can occur, including plagiarism, copyright violation, and libel.