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Laura Belgray (Talking Shrimp)

Emails That Make You A Better Writer (The Lazy Way)

"Yours are the only emails I actually open and read" - a regular reply in my inbox since 2009...and I'll bet in yours, too, once you subscribe and learn by pure, lazy osmosis to become the most compelling writer around. That said, no promises on improving your moral character.

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Featured Post

I'm making a big change.

Hey Reader, I’ve switched things up in my life. Had to. At the dermatologist, where I’ve started going for variously painful and costly laser treatments and anything else that will keep me looking fresh but not like one of the trout-pout/surprise-brows set on Real Housewives of Miami, I asked the doctor what she could do about the fine lines starting to appear around my mouth. She leaned in. “Do you smoke?” “No!” I said, indignant. I’ve only taken one drag on a cigarette in my life. Anytime...

about 3 years ago • 2 min read
Screenshot of an email addressed to Laura Belgray with the subject line “Re: Florence Pugh’s lips are in the wrong century.” The sender criticizes messaging that degrades women and calls for greater awareness of its societal impact. Full transcription of

TODAY! I’m speaking in Suzanne Kingsbury’s Gateless Fall Festival. Hope you’re coming to: A Clear Map to the Book You Really Want to Write. ← Click to sign up if you haven’t yet. Yes, you’ll get the replays. OK — you know that email I sent last week announcing my new free email class? (It was about Netflix’s East of Eden series and started off with a note on Florence Pugh’s lip filler. Read it here if you missed it.) When I wrote it, I was pretty sure I’d get a fuming reply from at least one...

about 13 hours ago • 3 min read

So — every single time I try to make money by sending a bunch of emails, the weirdest thing happens: It works! Some promotions do better than others, but if an offer doesn’t sell well, it’s almost always because of one thing: I was lazy. Or disorganized. Or discouraged by initial sales. Or cocky that my light drizzle of promotion would be enough. Or, despite everything I preach, reluctant to “bombard” your inbox. Sometimes, all of the above. But it’s still the one thing: I didn’t send enough...

3 days ago • 2 min read

Hey - just finished East of Eden on Netflix. You watch? The book is one of my all-time favorites. I read it in 1992 on a 10-hour flight, which felt like 2 hours (even in Economy) because it was that unputdownable. I loved the series. My only complaint is Florence Pugh’s lip filler, which has no business in a turn-of-the-century period piece. She might as well be wearing lululemon pants and a sports bra. The reason I’m bringing up East of Eden, though, is a business lesson. The central family,...

4 days ago • 2 min read

Hi hiiii — If you were around for my Tough Titties launch or have my course Book Launch Hero, you’ve heard me talk about my “publishing journey,” and might remember that most editors asked my agent, “Would she be willing to make it a copywriting or marketing book?” Hard no! I’ve always been glad I stuck to my guns, and on Friday I enjoyed a fresh wave of validation. Farnoosh Torabi and Richelle Fredson had me as a panelist at their fabulous event “Book to Brand,” alongside other authors,...

7 days ago • 1 min read

Hey hey — I’ve never sent “last chance” emails for Shrimp Club before, because I didn’t think anyone waited till the last possible second to make that kind of investment. It’s not exactly an item you grab at the Target register, like a sweater defuzzer. But this year, as I’ve had Shrimp Club veteran and copywriting/marketing star Kevin Oberhausen conduct interviews with current and past members, I’ve discovered something: Turns out, Shrimp Club is sometimes a (semi-) impulse purchase. Alex...

10 days ago • 1 min read
Three disturbing AI food images: a tuna sandwich with a spongy, hole-riddled bun and frosting-like piped tuna, shrimp-shaped "donuts" on raw instant ramen, and a fast food burger ad piled with glossy, unidentifiable toppings arranged too perfectly.

Pssst! Today is the LAST DAY to join my 8-month live mentoring party/mastermind Shrimp Club! I may send more emails, so if you’d rather not hear about it, here you go: DON’T email me any more about Shrimp Club. Reader — Were you around for Clubhouse? That platform gave me PTSD. Imagine a swarm of blowhards claiming they were “just here to add value” — and then that “value” was a ten-minute recitation of their CV… …Or a feature-film-length tale of how they were an aimless, dead-broke sad sack...

11 days ago • 1 min read
Three disturbing AI food images: a tuna sandwich with a spongy, hole-riddled bun and frosting-like piped tuna, shrimp-shaped "donuts" on raw instant ramen, and a fast food burger ad piled with glossy, unidentifiable toppings arranged too perfectly.

Just 1 more day to join my 8-month* live mentoring party/mastermind Shrimp Club! That’s what I’ll be talking about until the deadline tomorrow, Friday, so if you’d rather not hear about it, here you go: DON’T email me any more about Shrimp Club. My friend and Shrimp Club alum Marisa Corcoran just had me, newsletter legend Tarzan Kay, and pre-launch expert Brenna McGowan (also a Shrimp Club alum) come into her new email sprint/program, “You’ve Got Email” to show off and review our recent...

11 days ago • 2 min read
Three disturbing AI food images: a tuna sandwich with a spongy, hole-riddled bun and frosting-like piped tuna, shrimp-shaped "donuts" on raw instant ramen, and a fast food burger ad piled with glossy, unidentifiable toppings arranged too perfectly.

Pssst! Last 2 days to join my 8-week live mentoring party/mastermind Shrimp Club! That’s what I’ll be talking about until the deadline tomorrow, Friday, so if you’d rather not hear about it, here you go: DON’T email me any more about Shrimp Club. Hey! I just listened to Amy Porterfield’s interview with Ryan Levesque, who — talking about people’s craving for real, human creative work over AI slop — led with the premise, “It’s never been harder to stand out.” Beg to differ. Not with the part...

12 days ago • 1 min read

Pssst! Last few days to join Shrimp Club! That’s what I’ll be talking about until Friday, so if you’d rather not hear about it, here you go: DON’T email me any more about Shrimp Club. So Reader — Think you’re “not really a writer”? I’ll bet you’re wrong. I mean, you may not be one at all, or want to write anything more profound than “lol” and “u up?” But if you’re even entertaining the thought “I’m not really a writer,” that tells me you kinda sorta want to be one. Or a better one. And if...

13 days ago • 3 min read

Reader! When I’m writing, I try not to repeat words. In fact, the custom GPT/Claude skill I built for editing my copy, The Shreditor*, highlights anywhere I’ve used the same word or phrase too close together without meaning to. So either it’s going to go nuts on this email, or — if it’s behaving well today — it’ll recognize that I’ve used the following over and over deliberately: “Shrimp Club,” “investment,” “best investment” and “worth it.” Reviewing new interviews and past applications of...

15 days ago • 2 min read