“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 […]
On Creating the Illusion of Two-Way Conversation, and Why It’s Valuable Read More »
“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,
Why Hand Copying Old Sales Material Is a Big Dumb Waste of Time Read More »
“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
Do You RESPECT the Ingredients of Your Writing Work? Read More »
“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
A Method For Writing Copy Faster And Easier, Every Single Time Read More »
“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.
Hot Tip For Busting Writer’s Block: Flip The Script Read More »
“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
How To Steal Ancient Wisdom and Take Credit For It Yourself Read More »
“An actor entering through the door, you’ve got nothing. But if he enters through the window, you’ve got a situation.” – Billy Wilder, Born Jun. 22, 1906. This is the secret of telling a seductive story that uses curiosity to suck the audience in like a cross between a vacuum cleaner and a blowjob metaphor.
How One Little Story Twist Kidnaps the Reader’s Brain Read More »
“I am a big proponent of writing a great outline. That way you can avoid hitting a roadblock. There is no worse feeling than writing yourself into a corner but if you’ve figured it all out in the outline then you won’t have that problem.” – Michael Showalter, Born Jun. 17, 1970. Showalter is talking
How To Never Write Yourself Into a Dead End or Blind Alley Read More »
“No one can read with profit that which he cannot learn to read with pleasure.” – Thomas Hardy, Born Jun. 2, 1840. If you are someone trying to learn a thing for the purpose of improving yourself: don’t try to learn anything from someone boring. Don’t beat yourself up for not consuming and executing on
The Secret Tactic For Writing Engaging Work: Inside Read More »
“I guarantee you that two directors that are any good can take the same story, change the name of the characters, change the name of the town, and make an entirely different picture.” – Howard Hawks, Born May 30, 1896. I think Hawks is selling himself short. Anyone who is good at spinning tales can
Why Stories Are Infectious And What Makes Them So… Read More »
