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018 Four Things That Can Make Writers Famous

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Previous Episode:017 A Small Gift for Your Dark Days as an Obscure Writer More Episodes Next Episode:019 How to Answer the Most Important Question About Becoming an Exceptional Writer

All Episodes:

October 21, 2015

102 The Beautiful Message Joseph Campbell Was Really Trying to Tell Us

October 8, 2015

101 The Greatest Storytelling Guide This Side of Saturn

September 1, 2015

100 The Episode That Explains the Future of Rough Draft

August 31, 2015

099 A Better Way to Find Big Ideas (That Make You Stand Out)

August 27, 2015

098 How to Grab Great Ideas (Without Using Your Hands)

August 26, 2015

097 The Problem with the ‘Hell-For-Leather’ Writing Movement

August 25, 2015

096 Why These Famous Time-Management Techniques Are Ruining Your Productivity

August 24, 2015

095 Freaking Out Over the Thought of Writing a First Draft? Try Scaffolding

August 20, 2015

094 How to Avoid Obscurity by Misusing Language

August 19, 2015

093 A Creative Email Trick for Becoming a Plain Spoken Writer

August 18, 2015

092 Let This Stupid Machine Read Your Copy Out Loud

August 17, 2015

091 This Free App Will Help You Write Bold and Clear Copy

August 13, 2015

090 Four Writing Lessons I Learned from This Depressing Music Project

August 12, 2015

089 The Clear-Copy Rule of Writing for the Web

August 11, 2015

088 Three Ways Writers Must Adjust in a World Dominated by Social Media

August 10, 2015

087 How This Social Media Thing Kicked Web Writing Right in the Feels

August 6, 2015

086 An Elegant Story on Outsmarting Career Obsolescence

August 5, 2015

085 Raise the Stakes! 13 Writing Ideas That Really Work

August 4, 2015

084 The Two Things That Make a Dull Product Irresistible

August 3, 2015

083 Proof That Stories Can Increase the Value of Even ‘Worthless’ Items

July 30, 2015

082 Could Podcasting Make You a Better Writer?

July 29, 2015

081 When Do You Abandon the Editing Process?

July 28, 2015

080 Four Ways to Get Attention by Rocking the Boat

July 27, 2015

079 A Brief Introduction to the Art of Catching Hell

July 23, 2015

078 Six Storytelling Lessons from a Famous Urban Legend

July 22, 2015

077 Vexed by Your Bankrupt Vocabulary? Listen to This

July 21, 2015

076 Why Writers Need to Develop a Sense of Humor

July 20, 2015

075 Listener Challenge: Could You Read 100 Books in a Year?

July 16, 2015

074 How to Get Massive Attention with a ‘High-Concept Pitch’

July 15, 2015

073 A Lesson in Swagger from a Wooden-Legged Civil War Soldier

July 14, 2015

072 Six Ways to Becoming a Completely Original Writer

July 13, 2015

071 The Oldest Writing Trick in The Book

July 9, 2015

070 Eight Things Every Writer Should Know about Landing Pages

July 8, 2015

069 The Fascinating Truth about Boring Topics

July 7, 2015

068 How to Craft an About Page That People Actually Read and Share

July 6, 2015

067 The Psychology Behind Winning Email Subject Lines

July 2, 2015

066 All Great Writing Boils Down to These Four Emotional Appeals

July 1, 2015

065 A Mildly Spooky Illustration of “Reason Why” Copy

June 30, 2015

064 A Mild Warning for All Headline Writers

June 29, 2015

063 How Every Creative Must Think about Marketing and Advertising

June 25, 2015

062 Do Millennials (Really) Hate Long Copy?

June 24, 2015

061 These 4 Sales Principles Can Improve Anyone’s Writing

June 23, 2015

060 How to Use the 5 Stages of Audience Awareness to Dominate Online

June 22, 2015

059 Why The Most Hated Headline Structures Work So Well

June 18, 2015

058 This is the Most Fun You’ll Ever Have “Explaining the Mechanism” …

June 17, 2015

057 The Doomsday Cult School of Specificity

June 16, 2015

056 How to Sweep Away Skepticism with a Dramatic Demonstration

June 15, 2015

055 Meet the Tragic Poster Boy for the Emotional Brain

June 11, 2015

054 A Straightforward Research Method for Finding a Potent Hook

June 10, 2015

053 What You Don’t Know about Your Product Can Kill Your Copy

June 9, 2015

052 Three New Ways to Write a Headline (and When to Use Each)

June 8, 2015

051 Want Copy That Actually Works? Start with Mass Desire

June 4, 2015

050 The Curious Secret to Building Trust and Credibility

June 3, 2015

049 My Second Most Favorite Copywriting Formula in the World!

June 2, 2015

048 How to Get Lazy People to Care about Your Ideas

June 1, 2015

047 My Favorite Copywriting Formula … Ever!

May 29, 2015

046 How to (Rapidly) Build an Audience with Content Syndication

May 28, 2015

045 Solve Your Online Proofreading Problems With This Simple Trick

May 27, 2015

044 The Profanity Princess on Finding Your Voice

May 26, 2015

043 The Oddest Story About Overcoming Obscurity You’ll Ever Hear

May 21, 2015

042 10 Odd Books That Will Improve Your Writing

May 20, 2015

041 How to Read a Book in 2 Hours

May 19, 2015

040 The Shocking Way to Master Any Book

May 18, 2015

039 Nine Copywriting Books for Web Writers

May 14, 2015

038 The 8 Rules of Ruthless Editing from David Mamet

May 13, 2015

037 Revealed: The Perfect Blog Post Length

May 12, 2015

036 The Aggressive Work Ethic of Highly Creative People

May 11, 2015

035 The 10 Rules of Rough Drafts

May 7, 2015

034 5 Ways to Create the Perfect Ending that Your Content Deserves

May 6, 2015

033 6 Simple Rules For Writing Effective Dialogue

May 5, 2015

032 Use Internal Cliffhangers So People Never Stop Reading

May 4, 2015

031 226 Transitional Words and Phrases Every Writer Should Know

April 30, 2015

030 The Great Paragraph Hoax

April 29, 2015

029 5 Ways to Write a Seductive Sentence

April 28, 2015

028 How to Be Smart in a World of Dumb Verbs

April 27, 2015

027 How the Perfect Article Is Framed by White Space

April 23, 2015

026 The Best Articles Always Have This (and a Great Headline)

April 22, 2015

025 The Anatomy of a Hyperlink That Woos Readers

April 21, 2015

024 The Beginner’s Guide to Writing Bullet Points That Work

April 20, 2015

023 How to Create Exquisite Subheadlines

April 16, 2015

022 Four Safe Ways to Find Your Writing Voice (and One Dangerous One)

April 15, 2015

021 The Two Kinds of Knowledge Every Writer Needs

April 14, 2015

020 The Crazy Thing Writers Do to Become Exceptional

April 13, 2015

019 How to Answer the Most Important Question About Becoming an Exceptional Writer

April 9, 2015

018 Four Things That Can Make Writers Famous

April 8, 2015

017 A Small Gift for Your Dark Days as an Obscure Writer

April 7, 2015

016 Steal This Episode

April 6, 2015

015 David Sedaris’ Guide to Writing Brilliant First Sentences

April 2, 2015

014 Six Proven Ways to Open an Article With a Bang

April 1, 2015

013 How I’ll Make You Read Every Single Line of This Article

March 31, 2015

012 The Ugly Truth About How People Read Online

March 30, 2015

011 The 3 Pillars of Great Web Writing

March 26, 2015

010 How to Use RSS to Write Better Headlines

March 25, 2015

009 How to Write Headlines that Get Results

March 24, 2015

008 Where Headlines Have Gone Horribly Wrong

March 23, 2015

007 A 12-Minute Crash Course on Link Building (Ugh)

March 19, 2015

006 An Idiot-Proof Guide to Writing Blog Posts That Google Loves

March 18, 2015

005 Keywords: Your Love Affair With the Language Your Audience Uses

March 17, 2015

004 How Search Engines Work, Part Two

March 16, 2015

003 How Search Engines Work, Part One

March 3, 2015

002 The Unbreakable Law of the Web

March 2, 2015

001 Two Challenges All Digital Content Must Conquer

April 9, 2015

018 Four Things That Can Make Writers Famous

You don’t become an exceptional writer by galloping recklessly into the ring. There’s more to conquering obscurity and overcoming neglect. Four things, in fact.

I’ve always considered myself more lover than fighter. A soft-skinned, head-in-the-clouds poet. If I was a betting man, I’d put my money on the Internet.

“Swallow up the swan in two years.”

Yet, I’ve managed not only to survive, but thrive. How? That’s what this episode is all about.

In this 10-minute episode you’ll discover:

  • An elegant quote from Jack White on the essence of the battle for online attention
  • What it looks like to turn someone else’s idea into your own
  • The 4 things that make writers legendary
  • An event that will help you become an exceptional writer

Listen to Rough Draft below ...

018 Four Things That Can Make Writers FamousDemian Farnworth
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The Transcript

4 Things That Make Writers Famous

Demian Farnworth: Hi, welcome to Rough Draft, your daily dose of essential web writing advice. I’m your host, Demian Farnworth, Chief Content Writer for Copyblogger Media.

And thank you for sharing the next few minutes of your life with me.

So this is Episode 18. It’s called “The Exceptional Writers Club.” It’s a club I’m pretty certain you want to join. If you are not in it already.

It will be a series. Five parts. This is the first part. An introduction. I want to open by reading the introduction I mentioned two episodes ago.

The one that I had an idea for after watching the documentary “It Might Get Loud.” This was a scene in the movie that the moment I saw it I knew I needed to use it.

An Elegant Quote from Jack White on the Essence of the Battle for Online Attention

So here’s the opening:

“A man and boy sit in an old house crowded with furniture, sunlight, and dust.

“The man stomps his foot on the hard-wood floor. He’s wearing a white shirt, black jacket, and black derby hat.

“The boy is wearing the identical outfit. A guitar rests on his tiny knee. Tiny fingers grip the strings. Tiny fingers pluck the strings.

“The man is nodding, rocking as the boy plays.

“The man is Jack White — of The White Stripes, The Ranconteurs, and Dead Weather fame.

“The boy is his Jack’s younger self.

“Jack White is one of our best living guitarists. And he is teaching his son how to play.

“This scene is part of the documentary It Might Get Loud. Jack White is the youngest of three generations of guitarists showcased.

“Jimmy Page and The Edge are the other two. It doesn’t matter. The best part of this film happens in this old house crowded with furniture, sunlight and dust.

“It happens when Jack White is teaching his younger self how to play the guitar. It happens when Jack White says, “You have to fight the guitar …”

“And you have to win.”

I love that. That’s an incredible piece of advice for playing guitar.

For writing. For life. It’s back alley wisdom. A tip you might get from an older brother in a vacant lot before your first fistfight.

“You have to fight. And you have to win.

What it Looks Like to Turn Someone Else’s Idea Into Your Own

The reason I like this some much is it reflects the essence of the battle for attention online. Overcoming obscurity. Conquering neglect.

It’s a war of attrition. When everyone has a voice. No one has a voice. So you have to fight guitar. And you have to win. You have to subdue. The victory goes to the last man standing.

That’s the essence. In other words, fight until you win. There is hope, but you have to fight.

It could take three months. It could take three years.

But it’s not enough to just fight.

The 4 Things That Make Writers Legendary

You don’t become one of the greatest living guitarists without a little strategy, technique, a lot of knowledge and a pinch of flair.

These are things that make guitarists’ world famous. And writers legendary.

So, next week we’ll look at how these four categories can help you become an exceptional writer …

An Event That Will Help You Become an Exceptional Writer

And you know what else can help you become an exceptional writer? Attending our Authority Rainmaker live event this May in beautiful Denver, Colorado at the exquisite Ellie Caulkins Opera House.

This Opera is something else. In fact, it makes me want to sing in opera the lineup of speakers.

Chris Brogan, Dan Pink, punk legend Henry Rollins, fascination aficionado Sally Hogshead, Danny Sullivan, Joanna Lord, Scott Brinker Ann Handley, Sean D’Souza, our very own Brian Clark, Sonia Simone, Pamela Wilson, Jerod Morris and, so on.

This is a one-track, graduate level education in online marketing. Traffic, design, conversion, writing. In two days. But you gotta register. At rainmaker.fm/event.

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Comments

  1. JoAnn says

    April 20, 2015 at 6:30 AM

    Not included!!!! In this 10-minute episode you’ll discover ==> you did NOT deliver as stated…..

    An elegant quote from Jack White on the essence of the battle for online attention
    What it looks like to turn someone else’s idea into your own
    The 4 things that make writers legendary==>NOT INCLUDED IN THE 10 MINS!!!!!
    An event that will help you become an exceptional writer

    Reply
    • Demian Farnworth says

      April 20, 2015 at 7:12 AM

      Hey JoAnn, look in the transcript under the heading “4 things that make writers famous,” the first sentence, and you will see the four things there. 😀 And the following four episodes expand on each of these things.

      Reply

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