“All writers are liars. They twist events to suit themselves. They make use of their own tragedies to make a better story… They are terrible people.” – Nina Bawden, Born Jan. 19, 1925. You ain’t no journalist. You ain’t no oracle. We are making shit up to manipulate people’s emotions, and thereby their behavior. That… Read More →
This Blog Post is +2 Against Ridicule and Embarassment
“People don’t mind being mean; but they never want to be ridiculous.” – Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, aka Moliere, Born Jan. 15, 1622. To make people into allies, make them an accomplice. If you can get them to indulge in complaint and insult (even in private) against their enemies, you create a kinship. Paint those enemies as… Read More →
Stagnation is the Mind Killer, the Little Death
“Agitate! Agitate! Ought to be the motto of every reformer. Agitation is the opposite of stagnation – the one is life, the other death.” – Ernestine Rose, Born Jan. 13, 1810. One of the best tricks I know for starting a “push” conversation in the mind of a stranger is to acknowledge their frustrations, and… Read More →
Sometimes a Villain is What the People Need
“Movies are full of leading men, most of whom aren’t working. It’s much harder to find a good villain.” – Lee Van Cleef, Born Jan. 9, 1925. The secret of creating a powerful persona in your marketplace is to help your prospects find good villains to add a little adversarial psychological opposition to their lives…. Read More →
The Wise Man of the Wasteland Reveals His One Weird Trick
“The man who interprets Nature is always held in great honor.” – Zora Neale Hurston, Born Jan. 7, 1891. If you want to be the guru/expert/wizard in your chosen fields of expertise, you must become an interpreter of nature, as it occurs in that field. You are the wise man. The oracle. A wizard of… Read More →
People Are Seventeen Forever on the Inside
“I’m 48 years old, not a kid anymore by any definition, but here is a universal truth that every adult at some point will realize: We are all always 17 years old, waiting for our lives to begin.” – Harlan Coben, Born Jan. 4, 1962. You can write pretty persuasively for people of any age… Read More →
The Second Principle of Magic (And How To Use It to Guide the Decisions of Others…)
“The second principle of magic: things which have once been in contact with each other continue to act on each other at a distance after the physical contact has been severed.” – James G. Frazer, Born Jan. 1, 1854. It goes this way with the sharing of ideas, too. Contact with the mental machinery of… Read More →
The Illusion of Choice is Beneficial Oppression
“Language is legislation, speech is its code. We do not see the power which is in speech because we forget that all speech is a classification, and that all classifications are oppressive.” – Roland Barthes, born Nov. 12, 1915 Something vital to keep in mind when you are a persuasive writer is this: You are… Read More →
Winning Big Is Easier If You Rack Up Small Wins First
“Listen, if you don’t talk big game, you never get anywhere. If you don’t think big, you don’t get big. Some people call it egotistical, some people call it high hopes, some people call it confidence. It’s all in how you want to dissect it.” – Robert Van Winkle, aka Vanilla Ice, Born Oct. 31,… Read More →
One Sentence That Gives You The Keys to Your Reader’s Deepest Desires (And Unlocks Them for Money)
“Obsessed by a fairy tale, we spend our lives searching for a magic door and a lost kingdom of peace.” – Eugene O’Neill, Born Oct. 16, 1888. This quote can give you a lot of insight into the consumer mindset. Let’s break it down. 1. Obsessed. That’s how people feel about the need to acquire… Read More →
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