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GREETING CARD WRITERS SAY IT IN VERSE

Excerpt from Cincinnati Enquirer, 11/16/90
BY WALT SHAFER

© 1990 The Cincinnati Enquirer

As Christmas approaches,
It's that time of year,
To browse through card racks
Choosing verses to cheer.

There are other occasions
When we need to say,
"Happy Birthday," Get Well"
To a friend far away.

So, who writes these ditties,
Who pores over rhymes,
So we can send wishes,
At these special times?

The answer? People like Craig Boldman and Pete Matthews, free-lance writers from Hamilton, Ohio and San Diego, California, respectively.

They make their living writing jokes, expressing Cupid's fervent vows and celebrating holidays. The words they use become those of the sender.

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"I write humor pretty much exclusively," said Boldman, 35, who launched his free-lance career 12 years ago after graduating from the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art in New Jersey.

Boldman attended the school with Matthews and the two began writing humorous cards together.

They find inspiration for verses in just about everything they do. "Sometimes ideas just pop into your head. I find I-75 a good spot to write. We write in cars a lot," Boldman said.

"We'll jump into the car with no destination in mind and end up in South Carolina or Atlanta or Chicago," Matthews said.

"I do a lot of writing after I go to bed. I sleep with a tape recorder," said Matthews. He and Boldman try to delelop 20 new cards a week and sell an average of two cards a week to card companies.

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Humor writing involves coming up with lines that make editors laugh. Boldman and Matthews concur that what strikes one person as funny may not get the same reaction from another.

"We've written cards we thought would sell and no one bought them. Editors don't write back to tell you why," Matthews said. "Then we've sent cards that were essentially padding to fill out an envelope, and they bought them.

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Card writers tend to be natural observers of culture and people. "We laugh at the everyday frustrations people encounter," Boldman said.

Sometimes the pressure to write something funny, warm, cheerful or clever can weigh heavily. "I fear I'll burn out," Matthews said.

"I've had days when I say 'That's it, that's the last joke I'll ever write.' Then, that afternoon, I'll get an idea and know the knack's not gone."