“When people approach me about my films it is usually to tell me how much they hate them.” – Michael Winterbottom, Born Mar. 29, 1961. Any time you create anything, there are some people who seem to just want to tear it down because it exists. Because you bothered to try. I’m talking about haters…. Read More →
The Copy “Fandom” is Fun for Some, But Never Necessary for Success
“If you just love movies enough, you can make a good one.” – Quentin Tarantino, Born Mar. 27, 1963. Some people love copy. They fetishize it as an object, and treat the “copywriting industry” like a religion. For people like that, the goal is to have written “good” copy, so deemed by their peers –… Read More →
Productivity is Dictated by Where You Work, and How You Practice
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” – William Morris, Born Mar. 24, 1834. I want to talk about this in three ways. First…. While you can eventually apply that to your house, let’s at least start with your work space, wherever that may… Read More →
The Fear of Failure Feeds Your Forge – FEEL it, then USE it…
“Movie directors, or should I say people who create things, are very greedy and they can never be satisfied… That’s why they can keep on working. I’ve been able to work for so long because I think next time, I’ll make something good.” – Akira Kurosawa, Born Mar. 23, 1910. Today, let’s talk about defeat…. Read More →
How to Start Being a Copywriter: Start Writing Some Copy… Now
“All of my favorite creators started with zero… So you’ve got to make that first video. It’s not going to be your best, but you will learn as you go.” – Tyler Oakley, Born Mar. 22, 1989. Q. How do I get started writing copy? Just start. Q. What do I need to read to… Read More →
Creativity Comes to Life When You Feed it Something to Improve
“Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right or better.” – John Updike, Born Mar. 18, 1932. A lot of writers worry too much about creativity, and not enough about consistency of output. If that’s you, let’s talk about manipulating your mind out of making that mistake, shall we? Creativity is… Read More →
Discipline and Foundations are What You Build On (Because You Can’t Build On Nothing)
“Technique is what you fall back on when you run out of inspiration.” – Rudolf Nureyev, Born Mar. 17, 1938. “I don’t have a good idea.” Shut up. Write anyway. “I don’t have anything to say.” Stop it. Write something anyway. “It didn’t come out the way I wanted.” Fuck you, publish it anyway. We… Read More →
Know the Answers Your Reader Won’t Think to Ask For
“The questions don’t do the damage. Only the answers do.” – Sam Donaldson, Born Mar. 11, 1934. In Sam’s field of journalism, that can be true. A probing question that gets an answer from a prominent figure is often revealing in a way the answerer may not have meant. And often, it can be damaging… Read More →
Contingency Plans Multiply Your Profits (With No Extra Work)
“I’ve found that prayers work best when you have big players.” – Knute Rockne, Born Mar. 4, 1888. Let me teach you how to never lose again. Let me teach you how to always come out ahead. It’s called “contingency” and it’s this lazy man’s road to riches. Every single thing you do successfully CAN… Read More →
What People Want: Wisdom at No Cost; Truth Without Sacrifice…
“A vision of truth which does not call upon us to get out of our armchair – why, this is the desideratum of mankind.” – John Jay Chapman, Born Mar. 2, 1862. I know two things for sure. 1. You just learned a new word. 2. J.J. made a true statement above. Everyone has a… Read More →
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