“A good story cannot be devised; it has to be distilled.” – Raymond Chandler, Born Jul. 23, 1888. How many people think writers know exactly what they are going to write before it starts coming out of their fingers? We don’t. It would be boring if we did. Sure, you research and plan loosely. But… 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 →
Why Hand Copying Old Sales Material Is a Big Dumb Waste of Time
“It is all very well to copy what one sees, but it is far better to draw what one now only sees in one’s memory. That is a transformation in which imagination collaborates with memory.” – Edgar Degas, Born Jul. 19, 1834. “They” say you should take old winning sales letters by the greats,… 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 →
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 →
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 →
If You Don’t Provide A Story, The Reader Will Imagine Their Own (And They’re Bad At It)
“People need a narrative, and if there isn’t one on offer, they make one up.” – Jean Hanff Korelitz, Born May 16, 1961. In a world without humans, stuff just happens. Nothing means anything. Nothing foretells anything. Nothing is destined or fated. Nothing is deserved. Nothing is earned. There’s physics and luck. That’s all. But… Read More →
Your’re Not a Classical Composer – You’re a Punk Rock Shredder
“I really don’t think records should be made in the manner where you sit and write, and when you’re finished writing, you start recording. That just seems conventional and old-fashioned to me.” – Jay Reatard, Born May 1, 1980. Writing for the internet, for yourself, is pretty fucking punk. You don’t have time to engineer… Read More →
Create Valuable Unique Information You Can SELL – Just Stop Learning and Start Doing
“Theories are always very thin and insubstantial. Experience only is tangible.” – Hosea Ballou, Born Apr. 30, 1771. If you want to shift from being a consumer of information to a producer and seller of information – positioned as an expert in your chosen topic, learn this. Take whatever you’re consuming, learning, reading, watching –… Read More →
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