I’ll sometimes buy a book to reserve the option of reading it in the future. I read slowly and thoroughly, so I have to be selective about what I read. I’ll often read the introduction and conclusion of a book when it arrives, then shelve it for a proper read later on. I’ve had Robert McKee’s book Story sitting on…
I teach my copywriting students to plan stories by mapping 5-7 key events onto a timeline. You can do this on a plain piece of paper, napkin, post-it note, or whatever you have to hand.This rudimentary planning method would be too simplistic for say a novel or a play, but it’s reliable enough for most…
I’ve been reading an excellent book called Uncommon Measure, by Natalie Hodges. Hodges is a former violinist who dedicated herself to music until performance anxiety forced her to quit. I have much to say about this book, as well as much I am still processing. But something that stood out was her thought that the act of writing…
One of my first marketing mentors was and is Perry Marshall. I’ve subscribed to Perry’s emails since about 2006. Within Perry’s community a long standing critique has been that his ongoing emails are too ‘salesy’. For a few years you only heard from him when he had a webinar to promote. Well, a year ago…
I noticed the other day that a large chunk of the ‘broadcast’ emails I receive are now delivered by Substack… Substack describes itself as an ‘online platform that provides publishing, payment, analytics, and design infrastructure to support subscription newsletters.’ As a subscriber the experience of Substack is similar to Patreon. You subscribe to follow people…
On a recent Story Copywriter Community call we discussed some books I’ve read recently. At the risk of over-extending your reading list I thought I’d share the conversation: [video_page_section type=”vimeo” position=”default” image=”https://storycopywriters.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/books.png” btn=”light” heading=”” subheading=”” cta=”” video_width=”1080″ ]https://vimeo.com/783964013[/video_page_section] Recommended books I read last year (that relate to writing): – The Story of the British Isles in…
I follow Caitlin Johnstone’s writing. Every year she publishes an update of who she is and what she stands for. For those who sell based on trust and expertise this struck me as a good idea. After all, you can’t understand anyone better than you understand yourself. The beliefs, values, ambitions and goals that make…
I have an email template in my template pack called the re-engagement template. This is the email I suggest you sent to a stagnant list that hasn’t been mailed for a while. The truth about this template is it works in any format – not just email. One of my community members used it to…
I’m currently making plans for next year. Perhaps you are too. The run up to Christmas seems to stimulate both reflection and forward thinking. Story Copywriters has two halves to the business. One is my training course and community. The community is growing slowly but nicely. It’s a collaborative environment where we delve into writing topics…
I’m reading a book called The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz.The book tells the story of Denis Avey, a British soldier captured by the Nazis in North Africa. Avey eventually wound up at a POW labour camp at IG Farben’s Buna-Werke plant near Auschwitz. At the plant, British POWs were forced to work alongside Jewish prisoners.After watching the way Jewish prisoners were treated, Avey…
