Sonder – The Secret Emotion All (Copy)writers Should Embrace

Understanding human-ness in all its complexity...

Have you ever looked at a passing stranger whom you will most likely never again meet in your life and wondered what their life might be like? That they have a story as vivid and complex as yours? That they have a family, friends, and other loved ones? That there will be thousand things in their lives making them sad? That they will have dreams? Routines? Inside jokes?

There’s a word that describes this feeling. It’s called ‘Sonder’.

Coined by writer John Koenig in 2012 in his collection ‘The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows’, where he comes up with new words for emotions that currently lack words.

It’s very easy to look at things from our own vantage point with ourselves at the center of our narrative. Sonder is the realization that each person has as nuanced a story as ourselves. A story where they are the main character. A story where we are just outsiders.

As copywriters, feeling Sonder is important for us.

Every day, we write for people we don’t know, but who have complex and sometimes conflicting emotions, deep thoughts, nuanced lives, and so on. To truly connect, it’s important to understand them with all their complexities, nuances, vulnerabilities, and their human-ness.

For Eddie Shleyner, a copywriting genius, looking at street photos works. He says, ‘Sometimes, often, I browse street photos before I write, like a prequel, an emotional warmup’. He recommends checking out works of Vivian Maier, Robert Doisneau, and Garry Winogrand.

Keep feeling Sonder,

Ahsan