Time to Write

Why tech takes second place to writing (the Groupon example)

These days, the way writing is delivered tends to get more attention than the writing itself. That's why I was interested to read the role good writing plays in the success of one of the current stars of the internet.

Have you encountered Groupon? It's a service that offers special deals on a daily basis, targeted to your location. For instance, they might offer a voucher that costs you $25 (or £)j but is good for double that at a particular restaurant. I've ordered a few things from the London branch. 

The descriptions of the deals are sometimes quiet colorful and in an interview with SocialBeat, Groupon chief executive Andrew Mason explained how writing fits into the business. The article reports:

"Groupon employs a staff of 70 writers to create the text of all its group deals, Mason said. It might be easier to ask the businesses offering the deals to write the content, or perhaps to find some way to automatically generate the text, but Mason said that having well-written, engaging content is a key part of convincing users to keep reading about new shops that they might never have never heard of."

It's nice to see writing, as well as technology, get some credit!

(For help with your own good writing, see my book "Your Writing Coach," available from Amazon and other online and offline booksellers.)

I get feedback--this stuff works!

It's always great to get feedback and recently I enjoyed receiving two such emails. The first one:

"Hi Jurgen, Been meaning to tell you for ages that it's great to be in contact again. I saw one of your books in Singapore recently, bought it and really enjoyed reading it. It's been about 10 years since we met! I am living in Dubai since 2001 and have finally achieved what I dreamed of doing at the Brainstorm sessions all those years ago. I still have all the notes! I have my own successful film production company here in Dubai and we are making high end promotional films. Thanks."

It works! (But sometimes it takes a little time...). And on a different note I got this report:

"Hi Jurgen! Just to let you know, the Alter Ego Strategy from your FOCUS book is working well for me, making my home repair attempts more productive and much easier. You can call me... PAINTER PETE!"

See, these methods aren't good only for writing! 

If you're stuck, here's one solution

 In the book, "The Secret Miracle," Shelley Jackson (""Half Life") says, "I sat on an unfinished first draft for years because I suspected, correctly, that I didn't know how to finish it. When I finally went back to it, I still didn't know how, but I went ahead and did it anyway."

She adds, "I wish someone had told me in the beginning I would never know how to write a novel, only how to carry on despite near-total confusion and doubt, and how, once I finished a draft, to figure out what I'd done and make it better."

If you're stuck because the only next step you can think of doesn't feel like it's the right thing to do, and brainstorming doesn't bring up any better alternatives, do the "wrong" one. In the process, you may find that you start to understand better what would be better. 

Sometimes when you're lost, the best thing is to start in one direction and pay attention to the clues. Going the wrong way may help you find the right one.

(There are loads of practical tips for generating ideas and keeping your motivation high in my book, "Your Writing Coach," available from Amazon and other online and offline booksellers.)