"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.
I secretly love this overused “power word.”
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Hey Reader, Wanna know one of the most overused words in copywriting? Unlock. Unlock the secrets to 7 figures! Yichhh. And yet…I secretly love that word. You might even say it “resonates” (another done-to-death one) — specifically around ideas of writing and creativity. I have this fantasy that my most genius idea, in particular one for a book, is already inside my brain, and once someone hands me the key, LOOK OUT. It’ll come pouring out of me and onto the page. Because yes, it’s liquid. Genius always is. That’s why they call it “flow state.” That’s how the stories in my book Tough Titties* came to life. They poured out. I just wrote what I remembered. (Unfortunately, the editing and rewriting part were a different story.) And so I love stories of authors whose writing finally comes unlocked. I just came across one in Belle Burden’s terrific memoir, Strangers. During the pandemic, Belle discovered her husband was having an affair. He swore it meant nothing, that he loved only her. Then he packed his bags and peaced out. Left not just her — their three kids too. Didn't even want partial custody. Nearly a year into this shitshow, she sat down to write what later became her NYT bestselling book. (The thinking woman’s “revenge body.”) And she found her writing…well, unlocked: As January progressed, another narrative started forming in my consciousness, sentences and phrases, details of textbooks and cellos, gnocchi and whiskey sours, the cold tile of the bathroom floor. It was the story of James leaving….I felt an all-consuming itch to put it down on paper….In the dark of one morning, I sat down at my desk and started writing. It was the first time I’d written anything (other than legal briefs) in thirty-five years. Since [the guy in my college writing class] told me I couldn’t write. It felt primal, wanting to get it on the page. Writing it felt like a flashlight in that haze. This is what happened….I liked that it was just for me, with no other purpose. I remember trying to write once while I was married, sitting down at my desk, attempting to capture something about my father, about his death. Nothing came. I could barely get a sentence on the page. I couldn’t find a thread, a road in. I felt locked. But the ten months on my own, the winter of sleepless nights, the practice writing the counterclaim—it all seemed to have given me a key….Within a couple of weeks, I had a rough draft. Oh, that last part! “Within a couple of weeks, I had a rough draft.” The writer’s dream. Another favorite example comes from my NYT bestselling author friend Annabel Monaghan, who pumped out her first adult novel, the bestselling Nora Goes Off Script, after reading Laura Zigman’s Separation Anxiety. She said something about it was so quirky and everyday, it gave her permission to write the story that had been trapped in her head for years. She wrote Nora in just a couple of months. Since then, she’s written a book a year. I’ve loved every one of them. Are you a tad obsessed with these stories, too? I think you should come to my writing retreat next month. Bingeworthy Live is plenty full, but I have a few remaining seats to offer if you want to join the party. Or, as I’ll call it, THE GREAT UNLOCKING. Can’t make it or swing it? I’ve heard again and again that Tough Titties inspired Shrimpers to write their own stories. I’d call my style permission-giving, unless you’re a prude (in which case it’s just offensive). And my classic freebie, 5 Secrets to Non-Sucky Copy, has been known to make people fall in love with writing again (or for the first time). xoLaura PS - BTW, when you subscribe to my brand new Substack, which you should, check out Annabel’s, too. I’ve included it as an example of great author newsletters in my new section of Inbox Hero, coming soon. PPS - *If you’re an extreme grammar geek, you might think I should have used commas — “my book, Tough Titties,” — because it’s my one book. But I’m counting on it not being my only book forever. So I dropped the commas. BTW, if you use a comma after “my friend” — as in “my friend, [NAME],” — that means [NAME] is your only friend. How sad. If that’s the case, I hope [NAME] is a great friend. Psst! Since you're signed up to get my emails on a weekly basis, here's what you missed this week!
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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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