Time to Write

Marketing inspiration from quirky London bars

The idea that you need to do something different in order to stand out in today's crowded marketplace is obvious, but how do you do it?

Business Insider found some great examples of London bars that have embraced this notion:

BALLIE BALLERSON has an adult ball pit you can jump into--the UV balls glow in the dark. I wonder whether they occasionally find someone at the bottom at closing time...

At the spy-themed THE BLETCHLEY you crack codes to order cocktails, using simulated Enigma machines. They call it "escape room meets cocktail bar." CNN called it "the bar of the future." By the way, you can visit Bletchley Park, the actual home of the codebreakers, but you won't get any drinks there.

I'm not so sure about ALCOTRAZ, a pop-up prison-themed bar where you have to smuggle in your own booze and are given an inmate number and orange jumpsuit to wear. The Guardian wrote that it was  "accused of being in poor taste by charities and the latest in the 'fetishisation of misfortune' by critics." It looks like it'll be open through April, 2018.

Japanese bar SHOCHU LOUNGE decorated their ceiling with hundreds of cherry blossoms to mark the season. That's over but the decor looks pretty cool even without the blossoms.

SKYLIGHT at Tobacco Dock featured a rooftop ice rink and amazing views. It's done for the winter, but comes back  with croquet during the summer; bratwurst, pumpkins and cider in autumn, and the ice rink in November/December.

ABQ has a "Breaking Bad" theme. You 'cook up' your own cocktails inside an RV. It brands itself an "immersive molecular bar" and has no official relationship to the TV series. Because it's so small, it's best to book. You get 2 hours in the RV, with a welcome drink and two that you create yourself, for £30.

If you're not inspired yet for how to differentiate your product or service, go to one of these and have a cocktail or two.

 

 

An improv principle that can improve your year

The number one thing I learned when I studied with improv group The Groundlings and also with Keith Johnstone when he visited the UK is:

"YES, and..."

It has applications far beyond the improv stage, so let me give you a quick explanation of what it means, starting with an example:

Let's say you're on stage and another actor (one new to improv) comes in. You decide he's your dad, so you say, "Hi, Dad!"

The other actor says, "I'm not your dad!" thinking that's funny and it'll lead to conflict--after all, comedy and drama are based on conflict, right? Well, the right kind of conflict.

But in this case, now you have to come up with a reason why you thought this person is your when he actually isn't...or you have to say something like, "Dad, your dementia is getting worse!" In which case, I'm pretty sure the other actor would say, "I don't have dementia!"  

As you can probably imagine, this scene isn't going anywhere interesting.

Starting a scene by denying (saying no) to what you are offered is a dead end.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE ACTOR SAYS "YES, AND..."

Now imagine that the other actor accepts that you're his son or daughter. He says, "Hi, Brad/Janet, I just wanted to find out whether you've decided yet."

Now you accept (say yes to) the idea that you were about to make a decision and make one up, like "I have! I'm not going ahead with the wedding." 

If you're working with a group, that could be the cue for the bride or groom to come into the scene and say, "This is the happiest day of my life! I never thought I'd actually get married!"

Now you have some conflict that has potential to become a funny (or tragic) scene and the conflict is rooted in something real.

The "and" is the secret sauce.

If you just said, "I'm not marrying you!" and she said, "Yes, you are!" and you said, "No, I'm not!" etc. that doesn't go anywhere.

But if you say, "Darling, I'm not marrying you after all, but (this is the "and" additional material) I know someone who would be perfect for you!"

Rather than her screaming "No!" her more interesting response might be, "Oh...who?" (which is another form of "yes, and...").

OUR 'NO' MINDSET

For some reason, probably to do with evolution in some way, most of us seem to be primed to say 'no.' Of course we have to be able to do that, but often that leads to a dead end, whereas saying 'yes' and adding something often leads somewhere interesting.

ONE TIME 'YES, AND' PAID OFF IN LIFE

Some years ago I was in a class and chatted with a young woman who asked what I did. I told her I was a writer. She asked whether she could read something I'd written. 

Some people are very worried that if they show their scripts, the ideas or the scripts themselves might steal the material. You can say 'no,' and thereby guarantee your material will not be stolen, but you'll also guarantee that nothing good will come of showing the script, either.

In this case, I said, "Yes...and I'll bring in a copy next week." (These days I'd just email it to her, but this was in the dark ages.)

I gave her a copy of a spec comedy script I'd written. The next week she said she loved it and that her boss wanted to meet me.

I had no idea what kind of job she had, but it turned out that she worked for a producer. She read my script at her desk on her lunch hour and he heard her laughing. He asked her what was so funny. She told him it was a script by a fellow student and he asked to read it. He liked it, too, and wanted to meet me in case any comedy assignments came up at his company.

I wish I could say it led to a million-dollar assignment; it didn't but it was still useful to talk to him and find out about his company--this was in the days before I had an agent or any other way to get to people like him.

I like that story because it proves that you never know what seemingly random event might lead to something useful. 

WHAT ARE YOU SAYING 'NO' TO?

Naturally we have to prioritize because we can't do everything. But often saying yes and adding something doesn't take a lot of time.

It might be worth thinking about whether this year you'd like to try saying 'yes, and...' to more things and seeing what happens.

That could be in your career or your personal life.

DO YOU SAY 'YES, AND' OFTEN ENOUGH...TO YOURSELF?

It may be that the person you say no to most often is....yourself.

For instance, maybe you think, "Hmm, I wonder whether I could learn a new language this year." 

It's easy to say, no, I'm too old, or I don't have time, or I probably don't have a knack for languages, or, or, or... dead end!

What if you said, "Yes, and I'm going to try it out by..." using an app like Duolingo, or taking a sample evening class, or finding lessons online, etc.

If you don't like it, you can still say no, but at least you'll have given yourself a chance.

Can you think of something that it could be useful or fun to say 'yes, and' to? Feel free to share (or to keep it a secret).

 

 

Keep track of those body parts!

When you're writing, it's easy to come up with dramatic similes, metaphors, and descriptions that go a step too far. Here are a few actual examples from published books, thanks to a column David Langford wrote a while back for SFX magazine (unlike Langford, I'm sparing the authors their blushes):

"Franklin left his eyes on the floor, took a half step backward."

"His eyes fixed like grappling hooks on AAri's face..."

"...his eyes felt as if they had tendrils growing out of them, crawling like ants across the floorboards."

"Eyes like anguished talons were clutching hers." (Eyes like talons are bad enough, but anguished talons?)

It's not only eyes doing unusual things:

"The wind was shrieking, and so were her legs."

"I said through grated teeth." (Ouch, that one hurts to even think about.)

"Her face had the fragrance of a gibbous moon."

His unruly shock of red hair towered six feet above the floor."

"He felt once again the desire to bite his own backside in fury." 

And my favorite:

"His dark face was pale."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Tips for Keeping Your Mind Sharp

Three tips via Medical News Today for staying sharp, remembering stuff, and avoiding stress and depression:

TAKE A WALK!

Recent research led by the University of California, Los Angeles shows that taking a short walk each day can help to keep the brain healthy, supporting the overall resilience of cognitive functioning. They recommend at least 4000 steps per day.

SPEAK UP

According to a new study published in the journal Memory, we are more likely to remember something if we read it out loud.

Repeat after me: "I did turn off the gas!"..."Next week is our anniversary!"..."This, too, shall pass!"

CUT THE SUGAR, GUYS

Researchers found that men who consumed more than 67 grams of sugar daily from sweetened foods and beverages were much more likely to develop anxiety, depression and other common mental disorders after 5 years, compared with men with a lower daily sugar intake.

Here’s how much sugar is in a few common foods and drinks:

Naked Pomegranate Blueberry Juice: 32 grams

Coca Cola Original (330ml): 35 grams

Frosties cereal (30 grams with semi-skimmed milk): 17 grams

Mars Chocolate bar (51 grams): 30.4 grams

As you can see, it doesn’t take much to reach that 67 grams.

Write it right: hot what?

This is from Kim Komando's USA Today technology column:

"For the millennial adult, it doesn't get better than this: sitting at home, playing with your Echo, and then deciding to meet someone for a hot totty at a nearby gastropub, but you don't want to drive."

Totty is British slang for sexy women, so "hot" is kind of redundant.

I'm sure people have met hot totty at a gastropub, but probably KK meant "hot toddy."

A hot toddy is a mixture of a spirit (usually whiskey, rum, or brandy), hot water, and honey (or, in some recipes, sugar).

Cheers!

 

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What's your MDR for writing?

When you don’t have time to do a full session of writing, do you think it’s a lost cause and leave it for another day?

Unfortunately, those lost days can pile up.

I found that happening to me recently due to several distractions, including various medical tests (I found out I’m going to need a heart operation, probably next month).

There’s nothing wrong with taking a break from writing, of course, if that’s what you want to do; it’s when it happens even though it’s not what you want to do that a different strategy is called for.

I’m trying out one that I call MDR, for “minimum daily requirement.” That’s a phrase that usually refers to the minimum amount of a vitamin or nutrient you need every day.

I’ve set my writing MDR at either 30 minutes of focused brainstorming or 250 words. Of course I don’t have to stop at 250 word or at 30 minutes, but at least with the MDR I know I’ll keep some kind of momentum going.

If this might be useful for you, too, give it a try.

Happy New Year (and brace yourself)