Look at any bit of content about making the kind of content everyone will love and you’ll find they mostly say the same thing: here is what you do to get the broadest attention possible.

The idea: you think you’re making stuff for everyone. really, you’re making stuff for your own purposes. You’re making things to trade for the currency of attention. Think of all the people who post things on Instagram for the likes or who celebrate the even, round numbered follower counts.

What I think we need: More people making things for fewer people.

We are already overloaded…

First, the panic. The headlines were showing how a robot could write an article just as well as a human could. Hurry, run! The sky is falling!

Week of May 2, 2021

The week started Monday morning, waking up in a camper somewhere in South Carolina with two gassy dogs. It was unpleasantly early, especially for a Monday, especially considering we had a long way to go before we could even think about getting to work.

Then again, who said Monday morning’s had to be for work?

The week had a feeling to it. It felt like everyone needed a break. The end of April, the looming tax deadlines, the onset of Spring Fever, baseball, warm afternoons inviting cold beer. We have all been in this intense…

Hi, it’s me. Here’s another round of stories and ideas for you to chew on. Nothing to sell, but you can certainly tell your friends about this. Or, you can sign up to get every issue delivered directly.

“You remind me of myself two lifetimes ago,” Larry said to us. The joke being, he’s three times our age because he has no idea how old we are. How could he? We’re under masks and behind sunglasses, and he’s surprised to hear how we are in our mid-thirties.

“Oh, well, the feeling is the same!” he says. Looking at Larry was…

Published a few days late. I was off the grid for a bit; most of what’s below is transcribed from handwritten pages.

When it comes to writing for a living, especially when a lot of what I write is connected to the online space, I get this anxiety whenever I know I’ll be offline for a few days. As though I need to cram even more work into the days leading up to the departure, no matter what the deadlines or schedules say.

I think it’s a defense mechanism, a way to buy time. If I send something before I…

A lot happened, more is on the way. Right down to the skinny of it:

On the business front:

I launched OutWord — because a great story is about so much more than copy, isn’t it? My primary goal is to work with owners who want to find new ways to tell better stories. A simple premise, a lifetime of work.

Interested in working with me? Message me directly.

My dance card is already lush, which is exciting, but I’m always pushing for more, newer, and exciting projects to tie myself to. I’ve sold out my deep-dive, story-driven copywriting course…

I recently published this to my Revue. All the good stuff goes there first.

Perfectly Controlled Chaos

Never a weapon.

Always a firearm. Avod the word “gun” if you can.

Never a bullet. Use “round” instead. Depending on the firearm, “cartridge.”

All of this falls under the umbrella of “shooting sports.”

For over two decades, I was tied into the Boy Scouts of America in some capacity. Shooting sports, especially in Colorado, were a significant part of the Boy Scout program as it had been since the founding of the program. …