I don’t think I ever got anything better than a B+ in an english or writing class - all of my former teachers would probably swallow their pocket protectors if they heard I’m writing for a living. And tell you the truth, I have a hard time believing it sometimes. Fact is, I’m not making money off some inherent and incredible talent. I’m making it by being out there, and scrapping for whatever I get. By rolling up my sleeves, working each day to get better, and doing something I like to do for a living. I just saw this tweet from @copyblogger that describes it perfectly: “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” ~Richard Bach
The point? Well, this is really part 2 to the previous post, Do Copy. It’s about getting out there, regardless of what ‘talent’ you have, and regardless of what other people think about your stuff. Of course, I’d prefer you hire a professional copywriter (me), and I think you’d be well-served to (because it’s our specialty), but you can do it if you want to. You’re a writer too, and you can write copy. Really.
by brianlburns on April 15, 2008
in attitude
It’s been my experience that there are two types of people in this world: doers and criticizers. In the startup world, even more so than the real world, there are a bunch more criticizers than doers. You know who I’m talking about – the one’s always there to tell you your idea won’t work, that it’s already been done, and the one I hear a lot (if not directly) – your writing isn’t in the right style. Either it’s not funny enough, or it’s too funny. It’s not snarky and intelligent enough, or it’s elitist and too intellectual. If you gauge your writing by the criticizers, you won’t get anywhere.
So don’t. Self-gauge your work. Do the best job you can do… work to communicate who you really are, and what’s special, cool, or unique about yourself. Put yourself out there, regardless of what the criticizers tell you. Then, if you do that, you’ll have done more than they’re willing to do. You’ll write quality content with some depth (no matter how funny or unfunny), and in the end, you’ll be living the startup lifestyle (instead of trying to keep others from doing it). It’ll work - You’ll make money, and you’ll be able to sleep at night.
So go…. do. Really.
by brianlburns on April 15, 2008
in pics
365 media is a cool idea - do one thing every day (with variations), and put it up for others to see. It’s not just regular media, like a single picture or a single video… it builds upon itself as time goes one, and as a result, has more of a story and more depth. Unlike others before me, I don’t have any real purpose or theme, I’m just going to do it. One (hopefully interesting) picture each day, uploaded to my Twitter account.
So, if you don’t already, follow me on Twitter. I won’t bore you with it much here, but I’ll post some of the better ones from time to time. Here’s today’s, TwitPic of the Day #1, a budding branch outside my house in Boulder, CO. We’ve had a bout of hot weather here, temps climbing into the mid-70’s the past few days. And as spring tends to do, it’s come in a hurry (almost overnight). Exciting stuff:
