Strange Feelings about Heroes, Life and Writing
I often think about how to increase my income. Always whittling my ideas down to a nut, attempting to find fault, attempting to prove its worth.
--
Sometimes, I’ll read a book on business ideas, or marketing, or the infamous practice of “niching down” till your product is skin and bones, till it’s as honest as the day is long.
Right now, I’m reading a book. Not to mention its name or author, it’s about building a great offer that people can’t refuse. Well that sounded good, and if the guy can give me some solid insight, I’ll listen to his ideas.
The first chapter was a well written rags to riches story. I enjoyed it because it led me along by the nose, made me feel pleased that at least somebody in this world is doing well, and for short time I could share their joy; that’s the key in writing rags to riches pieces.
The next chapter went into the nuts and bolts of making an offer and pricing it to the hilt — for maximum profit. 1000 bucks a customer x ten customers a month, and you’re in good street. Easy peasy.
It was when the writing careened into twisty-turny sentences to convince me that one thousand dollars isn’t much, and loads of people will pay this price without objection, that I began to scratch my head. I thought, “Really?” — “Depends, on what the product is.”
I don’t pay 1000 dollars a month for services. Some men might, but they tend to end up in therapy, looking to cure their false love of a young lady of the night. Poor fellow.
So I suppose the author meant, but didn’t say, you should be marketing to the luxury markets where people spend money to confirm their status in life. I don’t live in that world. I have a flat, a cat, and happy life with my writing.
In fiction writing there’s this thing that every good writer should know, in the story the narrative will hit a problem. It’s an unavoidable problem.
The problem will be a point where another step forward to keep the pace and the tension high, isn’t realistically possible. Real life and logic gets in the way, and you might discover that you’ve written yourself into a tight corner. In…
