“When I was a young comic just starting out, I was very cautious, as I didn’t want to alienate people. George Carlin’s bravery became a benchmark. I became perfectly fine with alienating some people in the audience. That just comes with the territory.” – Paul Provenza, Born Jul. 31, 1957. So you want to… Read More →
A Random Encounter with the SECRET of Winning the “Game”
“The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don’t need any rules.” – Gary Gygax, Born Jul. 27, 1938. Business is like this and art is like this: Just like a game. Role playing games in particular have a strong metaphorical correlation with the info-marketing guru-type professional internet celebrity “industry”. There… Read More →
How to Obligate *Willing* Reciprocity in Potential Prospects
“There is sublime thieving in all giving. Someone gives us all he has and we are his.” – Eric Hoffer, Born Jul. 25, 1902. Cialdini called this the “Law of Reciprocity”, triggered when you do a favor for someone unbidden. They then feel a strong obligation to return the favor. We don’t like being forced… Read More →
How to Pull Apart Any Product to Describe it Desirably
“Joys divided are increased.” – Josiah Gilbert Holland, Born Jul. 24, 1819. If you want to make any offer of anything seem more appealing to whoever it is you’re offering it to… Start slicing it up. Every distinct piece of it is a separate component with its own intrinsic and inherent value. If you were… Read More →
On Creating the Illusion of Two-Way Conversation, and Why It’s Valuable
“Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand.” – Karl A. Menninger, Born Jul. 22, 1893. Wouldn’t it be nice if we, as writers could listen to our… Read More →
Don’t Waste Being Provocative Without Actually Provoking Action
“I don’t intentionally go: ‘Ooh, what is provocative,’ and try to do that. I just do stuff, and people go: ‘Ooh, that’s provocative.’” – M.I.A., Born Jul. 18, 1975. Good writing provokes. It isn’t comfortable and breezy. It causes discomfort and dissatisfaction. It gives hope and makes promises. It stirs ACTION. But lots of writers… Read More →
The Secret of Being Excellent Is Being Prolific First – So Get Started
“Black Sabbath was written on bass: I just walked into the studio and went, bah, bah, bah, and everybody joined in and we just did it.” – Terence Michael Joseph “Geezer” Butler, Born Jul. 17, 1949. Just start doing what you want to do. Don’t think about it too much. And I don’t mean warming… Read More →
When Prejudice Becomes A GOOD And Valuable Thing To Sell Others
“Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts.” – Elwyn Brooks White, Born Jul. 11, 1899. The modern influencer is an engineer of prejudice. Common parlance gives the word “prejudice” a negative connotation, as though all pre-judgments are inaccurate. But it doesn’t have to be so. Providing… Read More →
We Are All In It To Change The World… Or At Least Part Of It
“I am not in this world to live up to other people’s expectations, nor do I feel that the world must live up to mine.” – Fritz Perls, Born Jul. 8, 1893. Sorry, Fritz. I have to disagree, at least in part, only because I don’t feel an obligation to be equitable. I am with… 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 →
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