The 40 Day Recap

I’m still rockin’ & rollin’ over here. Movin’ & groovin’. Shakin’ & bakin’. Procrastinatin’ with generic rhymes-enatin’.

So, we hit The Big 4-0—and that feels like something. I’m not sure what yet, but I’ll let you know when I figure it out.

This last batch was a mixed bag of emotions. There were moments of glory mixed between days where I wanted to put this project in a vice, crank the handle, and crush it like something you crush in a vice. (I’m not good at metaphors. Or tools.)

But right there on cue, you guys stepped in and boosted me back up.  Thanks to those of you who reached out with encouraging words recently. You put this roller coaster back on track.

More lessons below. For now, here’s the recap:

Posts 31-40

31) Under The Weather Sports Pods I dipped my toes in the Shark Tank once again. This is a strange sort of personal bubble that you sit in to watch outdoor events. It protects you from the weather (and society) and seems as useful as it is odd.  Much like my drunken birthday bash a decade ago, it was a fun way to kick off my 30’s. Favorite lines include:

• This only seems silly until it rains.
• It’s like a minivan for watching sports. It may not be cool, but it sure is practical.

32) Domahub Domain Name Sales: This was hard to write, but motivating—and I was happy to support a fellow copywriter with his request. Domahub is a domain reseller without the sketchiness. They have their stuff together and the lines I created for the project opened up new ideas for the writer, so I’ll count that as a win. And this post also planted the seed for a soon-to-launched brainstorm package. Stay tuned…

• Park your domains in a friendly lot.
• You were smart to stock up on those domains. Now get smart about selling them.

33) FlexSafe Travel Vault: Last Shark Tank post for this batch. Promise. This is a small, anti-theft bag that locks onto a beach chair. Great for securing your phone & wallet while you swim. Just in case, y’know, a thief is smart enough to look in your shoe. Or under your towel. Good lines overall and I got a retweet from the creators. Writing for products is more fun than I expected.

• Public beaches aren’t the best place to put your faith in humanity
• How do you know the guy you asked to watch your stuff isn’t the one stealing it?

34) Tattoo Removal: This was the first post where I found inspiration from images. I’ve used the idea a few times since and gotten some great ideas from it. Try it. There’s buried treasure in there.

• For when the band breaks up
• Sometimes Chinese symbols don’t mean what you thought they meant
• You should’ve listened to your mother

35) Amy Lipner Copywriter: Yay, collaboration! Amy reached out to me about taglines for her new site. She’s a good soul and it felt great not to work in a fortress of solitude. This isn’t the most interesting post to read, but it was the most rewarding to write.

Psst! I’m still nailing down the collaboration process, but it’s getting close. Reply to this email if you want to give it a shot and get some lines of your own. (I’ll be charging for this very soon.

36) Dog Training:This has been on my radar since the CitiKitty post. I’m a dog guy so it felt more personal. And now there is balance in the universe. I’m proud of the way this one came out. And a lot of good lines came late in the list. So keep digging! (<– unintentional dog pun)

• The only thing you have to lose is muddy paw prints on your pants
• Good dogs get hugs (OK, this isn’t a great line, but who doesn’t love the adorableness?)

37)  Teleprompting Services:This was inspired by a friend who runs a teleprompting company. He’s got a great site and doesn’t need the help, but I thought it would be fun to try. It was, but I may have focused on the wrong person. I wrote toward the talent rather than the production companies who would be hiring them. Still some decent lines though.

• Because practicing in front of a mirror is way different than presenting on stage
• You’re not still presenting off of index cards, are you?
• You may not need the words. But what happens if you do?

38) Quip Electric Toothbrush:The post that’s been retargeting me for days. There were a ton of reviews out there, and it they led to some interesting themes. Ones I didn’t expect, like “having a relationship with your toothbrush.” Weird, but it came up a lot.

• Clean with a brush NASA would build
• The tooth is out there (<– this is terrible, but I love it)

39)The Copywriter Club: This one pulled me out of the dumps. TCC was looking for a new tagline for their Facebook community, and it became the perfect opportunity to write a post I’d  been planning on for a while. After 114 lines, I’m happy with the results. People said some really nice things about me and it reignited the fire. Thank you, TCC!

• Where writers share secrets, client struggles, and way too much personal information
• Meet the people behind the words
• None of us are wearing pants

40) Monster Hockey Goalie Accessories:  This is super niche-y. Unless you’re a goalie like me, you’ll have very little interest in this. But it felt great to write something I’m passionate about. I needed to write this one for sanity’s sake.

Main Lessons:

There’s a bit of a learning plateau at the moment. Small ups & downs with each post, but fewer monumental shifts. The biggest ones being:

• Collaboration feels like a warm hug.
• I’ve upped my pain tolerance significantly. (100 lines a day? Pssh. Easy.)
• Using images for inspiration could be a game-changer. I need to remember this. You should too.
• There is no work-life balance anymore. I feel like this is my life. At least for the next 60 days.
• I miss my family and need to reprioritize some things. They need to come first. Always.

Additional notes:

• Dang it. I always spot typos as I do this recap. Grrr.
• I’m usually able to knock out 50-60 lines before I open up the formulas. And after a few stock lines, I usually get going on my own again.
• Dig deep. Some of my favorite lines come very late in the game.
• Brain Drain is (still) real. Not per post. I can do those easily now. But the overall build-up is intense at times. I’m tired, y’all. But the train keeps a’movin.

Thanks for watching. It really means a lot .

Oh, and don’t forget to send those fun topics along! Or add them to comments below. I’m always looking.

Big hugs,

JB-

P.S. If you were keeping track, I left off the letter “G” 9 times in this email.