Kilimanjaro
I never wanted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. In fact, I never wanted to climb anything. Still, I couldn’t say no to Dr. Al Sears again. He is a good friend and an important client. And I’d been demurring on all sorts of hiking and climbing invitations from him for about…
The Magic Formula for Online Business
Through juniper and sagebrush and parched grasslands. Past herds of mule deer, elk, and pronghorn antelope. On and on, we drove… into the primeval forest of southeast Oregon. I took last week off. Really off. Disconnected from most things electronic, except for my trusty laptop, my wife and I embarked…
Why You Should Consider a Career as a Freelance Copywriter
When you check your mail and e-mail today, keep an eye out. Did you get a renewal letter for any magazines you subscribe to, perhaps offering a discount or a free gift? How about an offer from a bank to sign up for a new credit card? You’re prequalified and…
Who Am I?
You’re at a party and are introduced to someone you find extremely attractive who asks about you. What do you say? A senior executive is interviewing you for what you’re sure is your dream job and asks you to talk about yourself. What do you say? You’re ready to buy…
Let It Go — Babies Do!
We drove upstate from Manhattan for a while, parked, and headed out into the forest. The first two hours were just fine. We had an enjoyable late lunch. I didn’t want to litter, so I put the empty root beer bottles back in my pack, and we set out again.…
The Language Perfectionist: “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope”
Can you see anything wrong with the following sentences? “No longer able to cope, she reluctantly decides to leave.” “I just can’t cope anymore…. Most of the time I can cope pretty well.” “Homer and the rest of the family have trouble coping without Marge.” Or how about the title…
A Highly Profitable, Laughably Simple Lesson From the Great Depression
I have a daughter in Montclair, New Jersey — hometown of the inimitable Yogi Berra. As a result, I have made a bit of a study of his remarks, and one of my favorites is, “You can observe a lot just by looking.” Well, one thing I have observed a…
Why Positive Thinking Is Bad for You
The “power of positive thinking” is so firmly enshrined in our culture that knocking it is a little like attacking motherhood or apple pie. Many people swear by positive thinking, and quite a few have been helped by it. Nevertheless, it is not a very effective success tool — and…
The Four-Legged Stool
Years ago, I was given a challenge by a client of mine. They asked me to help them create stronger direct-mail advertising packages than those being used by their main competitor. Problem was, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with the packages my client was using. They had good…
The Language Perfectionist: Stillborn Words
New words, or neologisms, are coined all the time. Not so long ago, we didn’t have blog, downsize, iPod, megatrend, shareware, Wi-Fi… and many others. But not every newly coined word becomes widely used or even enters the language. As you might expect, there’s a term for this phenomenon: nonce…
How to Write Well: The Big Idea and Clarity
I spend at least half of my time teaching writers how to write better. I’m speaking of writers who work for the information-publishing companies I consult for and for other publishers who pay me to help them make more money. Over the 30 odd years I’ve been doing this, I’ve…
Meet Sad Sack
The other day, a guy — a real sad sack — left a post on my blog. Said he’s been a copywriter for decades but has not been very successful at it. It’s not his fault, of course. It’s the world’s fault. More specifically, it’s the direct-response marketing world’s fault.…