“A film is made in somebody’s head – out of their determination to do it at all.” – D. A. Pennebaker, Born Jul. 15, 1925. This is where failure nestles in, curled up warm and safe, using your plans and goals as a cozy little blanket. Everyone’s got an idea. Most people have good ideas…. Read More →
Do You RESPECT the Ingredients of Your Writing Work?
“Simple ingredients, treated with respect… put them together and you will always have a great dish.” – José Andrés, Born Jul. 13, 1969. We aren’t talking about cooking here – not presently, anyway. We write. And like a good dish, a good piece of writing consists of simple ingredients that are treated with RESPECT. That… Read More →
The World Is Full of Treasure For You – But You Must Fight For It
“The world continues to offer glittering prizes to those who have stout hearts and sharp swords.” – F. E. Smith, Born Jul. 12, 1872. The world ain’t gonna give you a prize for showing up. Unless you count “eventual surprise death” as a prize. The world actually doesn’t reward anything to anyone. Life isn’t a… Read More →
A Method For Writing Copy Faster And Easier, Every Single Time
“Cover the canvas at the first go, then work at it until you see nothing more to add.” – Camille Pissarro, Born Jul. 10, 1830. This is also the way you should be doing client writing work. One of the reasons I did my client work from templates is so that I knew I could… Read More →
To Make Your Brain Beefy, You Have To Flex It Daily
“If you haven’t found something strange during the day, it hasn’t been much of a day.” – John Archibald Wheeler, Born Jul. 9, 1911. One of the features of life is that it will adapt to meet the challenges of the environment it finds itself in. A hard life will make a body strong. But… Read More →
The Difference Between a Pro and a Clown: Hit That Deadline
“They didn’t want it good, they wanted it Wednesday.” – Robert A. Heinlein, Born Jul. 7, 1907. It’s about expectation. A professional writer needs to deliver work at the promised time. Deadlines aren’t soft targets. (I was never as good at this as I insist others should be.) It’s about consistency. If you publish regularly,… Read More →
Hot Tip For Busting Writer’s Block: Flip The Script
“I’m always trying to turn things upside down and see if they look any better.” – Tibor Kalman, Born, Jul. 6, 1949. When you’re stuck, a change in perspective can make all the difference in the world. Obviously, writers don’t have the same ease in just “turning things upside down” that a designer might have…. Read More →
How To Steal Ancient Wisdom and Take Credit For It Yourself
“Even truth needs to be clad in new garments if it is to appeal to a new age.” – Georg C. Lichtenberg, Born Jul. 1, 1742. Are you one of those people who kicks yourself over wanting to be creative and original and fresh and new all the time? That shit is hard, right? Guess… Read More →
It’s Only Too Late To Start If You Woke Up Dead Today
“When I was writing ‘Kitchen Confidential,’ I was in my 40s, I had never paid rent on time, I was 10 years behind on my taxes, I had never owned my own furniture or a car.” – Anthony Bourdain, Born Jun, 25, 1956. I didn’t start doing this thing – my life’s work, working for… Read More →
How To Become Awesome Enough To Succeed
“My real life helped me sell a lot of records.” – Christopher Wallace, Born May 21, 1972. In this age where “authenticity” is a buzzword, lots of brand wonks will tell you that what you need to do is just be yourself. Wrong, friendo. That skips a step. Step 1: Be awesome. Step 2: Be… Read More →
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