"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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Hey Reader, In my email the other day about soup (not really about soup), I talked about the writing exercises we ran through at our Shrimp Club retreat, and how brilliant the writing was that came out of them.
Your fellow Shrimper Vanie wrote me back (I love it when you Shrimpers reply) asking, “Do you really make your shrimpers write as brilliantly as you do??...Cuz not everyone has your personality and [that’s] what’s so hilarious. How does that translate to other people who don’t have a funny personality?” She suggested I post about it on IG. Which I did.
You can watch it, but here’s the gist: a) You don’t need a funny personality to be a brilliant writer. In fact, you don’t even need a funny personality to be a funny writer. And... b) I can’t “make” anyone a brilliant, funny writer any more than I can make them a lasagna (in either sense — can’t turn them into lasagna and can’t cook them a lasagna, because I don’t cook). But I sure do have tricks to help them make their own writing brilliant and funny. In the reel, I teach one of those tricks. I’ll repeat it here. It’s my favorite. I’ve waxed on about it to you before. It’s called specificity. As in, specific, concrete, original details. They make everything funnier and more truthful. And truth is funny. Just ask Homer Simpson.
Which means, it’s THAT MUCH MORE EXTRA FUNNIER. (That’s Homer grammar.) Let’s try punching up a sentence with specificity. BEFORE: AFTER: Funnier! Better! Don’t you agree? The work we did at the retreat was 100% an exercise in writing with specificity. And everyone did it so easily, they surprised themselves. I may not make you a lasagna, but I do bring out your magic. I also harp on specificity on our Shrimp Club hot seat calls when I’m reviewing members’ copy. As they get the hang of it, their writing gets better and better. And more persuasive. And more engaging. And higher-converting. We cover a lot more than just details like dachshunds and tulips, though. A lot of what I do in there is help my Shrimpers sound more like themselves. At a party this week, I met someone who named two Shrimp Club alums and said their newsletters are everyone’s “must reads.” She told me, “I don’t know what you did, but they both used to write in corporate speak and now they write these emails that are so good, everyone worships them.” And the transformations aren’t just in the writing. Shrimp Club also gets them to be more of themselves. Repeat member Dani Sumner has said, “I’ve never felt more ME.” (She’s also made her business more “her” and is making great money from it.) They form beautiful, lasting connections: I regularly run into Shrimp Club alums at events they’ve traveled to and find that they’re staying together. They send me photos of their meetups. Just yesterday, one current and repeating member, Kevin Oberhausen, told me that he and his wife regularly stay up till 1am talking to another member, Simie Iriarte. I LOVE THAT! As long as they’re getting enough sleep. And, not for nothing, their businesses grow and change. They get more committed. They inspire each other. They create valuable new assets. They stumble on big ideas and entirely new revenue streams. If all that sounds good to you, or if you just want to do the best writing you’ve ever done, you should take me up on my early-bird Shrimp Club offer. It’s now (pre-) open for a flash, with a special bonus that may or may not ever happen again. 👇 Apply and join this week for our 2025-2026 round and you’ll get a free ticket to the first-ever Talking Shrimp writing workshop in NYC. This round of Shrimp Club kicks off in October and runs through May. The writing workshop will be back-to-back with our annual Shrimp Club retreat. The schedule: MARCH 22-24TH IN NYC SUN/MON: Writing Workshop I’m taking 8 Shrimpers for this special offer (and spots are filling up), so let’s go! See Shrimp Club details and apply here. And if it’s not for you, just try making your writing more specific. Also, keep your dachshund away from the neighbor’s tulips. xoLaura PS - *Litigious neighbor not at all based on our neighbor in Sag Harbor, with whom we only communicate through lawyers. {*Whistles innocently*} That said, please don’t forward this to said neighbor. PPS - Can’t make payment yet for Shrimp Club? Don’t worry! We’ll ask for a deposit and start payment in September. Find out more and apply here.
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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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