“Fundamentally, all writing is about the same thing; it’s about dying, about the brief flicker of time we have here, and the frustration that it creates.” – Mordecai Richler, Born. Jan. 27, 1931. We sellers of stuff, our products and services all directly or indirectly relate to death. Evading it. Escaping it. Thwarting it. Making… Read More →
Coffee? Whiskey? Weed? Noise? Tea? Silence? What Do You Need to Sit Down and Write?
“Any serious attempt to try to do something worthwhile is ritualistic.” – Derek Walcott, Born Jan. 23, 1930. Are you serious about what you’re doing or what you want to do? I once heard a talk by late copywriter Eugene Schwartz where he talked about how he keeps his desk and surroundings when he writes…. Read More →
Making Your Minor Marvels More Mysterious May Magnify How Much They Matter
“The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.” – Francis Bacon, Born Jan. 21, 1561. You’ll see me waffle on whether what sales copywriters and ad men do is “art” or not. But whether it is or isn’t – that’s irrelevant to whether the methods of CREATING art are useful to us… Read More →
How to Warp to the Next Level Without Beating the Boss
“Players like to know that they’ve discovered things that even the designers didn’t know were in the game.” – Will Wright, Born Jan. 20, 1960. People who grew up in the original Nintendo Entertainment System era have a unique insight into persuasive language. In particular, an advantage when it comes to the framing of information… Read More →
Do the Thing Now. Improve the Thing Later. Perfect the Thing Never.
“When a thing’s done, it’s done, and if it’s not done right, do it differently next time.” – Arthur Ransome, Born, Jan. 18, 1884. Stop trying to make shit perfect. You won’t. You can’t. Don’t even worry about it being great. Focus on “good enough”. Publish your alpha, beta, 1.0 stuff. Let the audience react… Read More →
How to Learn to Cook and Copywrite (At the Same Time!)
“The first time you make something, follow the recipe, then figure out how to tailor it to your own tastes.” – Ruth Reichl, Born Jan. 16, 1948. Are you too creative and clever for your own good? I used to be like that. I went to art school. I used to want to do something… Read More →
Propaganda for Fun and Profit. But Mostly Profit.
“It is the emergence of mass media which makes possible the use of propaganda techniques on a societal scale.” – Jacques Ellul, Born Jan. 6, 1912. I say often that being able to persuade other people is about as close as you can get to having a real life superpower. It makes life easier. It… Read More →
Bloody Eyeballs Are Happy Eyeballs
“Don’t forget that the only two things people read in a story are the first and last sentences. Give them blood in the eye on the first one.” – Herbert Bayard Swope, Born Jan. 5, 1882. That’s why your opener should fuck the reader in the brain, right through their eye socket, planting the seed… Read More →
Inside: Indulge in Your Weird Obsessions Without Shame
“People often ask me about what constitutes a nerd-friendly show – like, does it have to have sci-fi elements? But I think it’s just a show that satisfies the secret craving we all have to be obsessed with something and not feel at all stupid about it.” – Dan Harmon, Born Jan. 3, 1973. It’s… Read More →
Fundamentals of Storytelling for Copy
Storytelling is a hot thing right now. It’s the new buzzword. It’s also the most ancient human art form. People ask me a lot about it. The thing is, it’s not all that tricky. Can I make it simple for you? To make something a “story”, you need only four basic elements. 1. Character. One… Read More →