"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.
Any luck? (screenshots 👀)
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So… Around 16 years ago, I pooped the bed on a freelance assignment. Mike and Brett, heads of a production company and my most important client, liked to hire me for “a day of my genius.” Those words froze me. I’m fueled by low expectations, and the demand for “genius” is my kryptonite. Add in my procrastination habits back then (still haven’t shaken them completely, but way better now that I write for ME) and you’ve got a perfect storm of NGSD — Not Getting Sh*t Done. Hence the stacks of old “Just checking in” emails from clients in my inbox. These are giving me an anxiety flashback: For some reason, one particular assignment — promo spots for the show Friends (heard of it?) — left me especially at a loss. First, I waited till deadline day to start. (Classic move.) All day I stared at my screen, telling myself genius takes time. Lunchtime rolled around fast. Still no ideas. The clients were on West Coast time, so as I panicked about the day getting away from me, I kept reminding myself of that 3-hour handicap. 12pm: Mike and Brett are probably just getting to the office now. It did not. At 9pm ET, I got this: Then, they called. “Where's your genius stuff?” “Hey guys! Um...Don't hate me, but I don't have anything. I haven't had any genius today.” “Oh no! Laura!” Their disappointed “Oh no!” still echoes in my head. Not only would it have been better to hand in any old shit ideas, anything at all, than giving them nothing… If I'd started by writing a bunch of shit ideas, I might have come up with some good ones. I've since learned that inspiration never comes from waiting. It comes from writing. From trying. Plants sprout from manure. Literal shit. Same with your genius. When I'm stuck trying to come up with something smart, the only thing to do is to start by writing a bunch of stupid. I always recommend 750words.com as a warm-up tool. That's where I start every day, to stay in the writing habit and get the garbage out onto the page. As of yesterday, I’m on a 290-day streak. Need more help restarting your dead creative engine? Some great ideas: 1. FREE: Story Goldmine - 63 Surprising Places To Mine Your Everyday Life For Stories That Sell 2. $99-$1000: Any of these Talking Shrimp courses Sometimes cracking open one of these puppies is all you need to get re-energized about your work. It even works for me! I forget 90% of the brilliance (if I do say so myself) that I’ve shared, even as recently as a month ago. 3. Not free by any stretch*…but could change everything for you I’ll get to this one in a sec. First, to close the loop — Mike and Brett mercifully gave me another 24 hours to take a stab at the assignment. I guess “end of day” really was next day for them. I wouldn't say I knocked it out of the park, but I gave them ideas they could work with. I gave them something. And that's always better than nothing. Happily for me, even after the Big Fail, they gave me steady work for years, as much as I asked for. Sometimes, more. Maybe they knew that coming up empty was so humiliating, I'd never choke like that again. (They were right. I haven’t. Though I did continue to beg for extensions.) Want help getting out of an overthinky, perfectionist state in your business… …and into a prolific, genius-creating, “slap shit up” mode? Feel like you need something more high-touch than courses — like community and personal mentorship? Well, here’s number 3: Shrimp Club, my 8-month live mentoring party starting in October, will make a high-producing, creative beast out of you. Not to mention, a compelling, persuasive, and authentic writer. Between my personal feedback and the validation and “idea popcorn” from your fellow Shrimpers in the chat, the hot seats are pure magic for lighting a fire under you and bringing out your genius. The bonus of a private hour with me is still available if you apply before tonight at midnight ET (and, if you’re invited to join, accept in a timely fashion). xoLaura PS - What’s your biggest work fail? Tell me! PPS - *I have no interest in hiding the price of Shrimp Club, but I do want you to see it in context of what it delivers. You’ll find it here, right below the scroll. Love Shrimp Mail? Forward this to a friend so they can get in on the action and sign up below.
Thank you for reading and sharing, |
Laura Belgray (Talking Shrimp)
"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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