Roses Need Fertilizer, Part 3

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly
because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
– Aristotle

In Issue #202

Roses Need Fertilizer, Part 3
by Conrad Hall

This is your last installment, and my finishing touch. Have you printed the first installments of this series? Getting the full value from this series means looking at it as a whole and doing the work to connect a few of the dots for yourself.

All in all, I learned three big lessons from my experiences at the AWAI’s Writer’s Retreat:

  1. Focus on the task at hand.
  2. Study the circumstances and decide what is necessary to be able to work.
  3. Plan how you are going to get what’s necessary and trust your friends for support.

I learned that my reliance has been too much on insight, and a natural story-telling personality. It’s time to bolster my ability to research, and make use of the structured elements of letter writing. This means taking the time to dissect the existing controls and study the competition. It’s also means reading web pages, books and other materials.

Bolstering my ability also means returning to some of the exercises I did well for the first few months after bootcamp. Reading and analyzing promotions from the Hall of Fame and the Monthly Copywriting Genius helped me to move forward quickly. Taking the time to copy letters by hand also propelled my learning and gave me early promise.

These are two simple exercises that I allowed to fall by the wayside because I was too busy being a copywriter. It took speaking with a few people at the retreat to remind me that being a professional means practicing as much as it means producing.

Being able to speak with Jennifer Stevens, John Forde, Monica Day, Denise Ford and Will Newman did a lot to open my eyes. They are all approachable people who put their pants on one leg at a time, and who work at improving themselves and their abilities.

Jennifer reviewed a travel article I had with me. She gave me tremendous encouragement and positive reinforcement. It felt good to have her send an e-mail to the editor of Travel Post Monthly on my behalf. Jennifer, you have given me a direct line to the Travel Post Monthly staff. Thank you.

John opened my eyes to the everyday nature of these copywriting idols. Listening to him helped me realize that they’re just busy people. They want to talk to us as much as we want to speak with them. I heard him encourage several people to write him directly and voice their thoughts.

Monica spoke to me about the danger of making myself the centre of attention by always offering to help. She reminded me that we all need help, and sometimes we need a chance to figure things out for ourselves. Her wisdom showed through when she asked me to work it out for myself by writing this article.

Will Newman was the first Master I had a one-on-one session with. He’ll always stick in my mind as the man who saw my passion for writing, and told me that this passion is my ticket to success. Thank you, Will.

And then there is Denise Ford. Denise isn’t a copywriter, but I think I may have learned more from her than anyone else. Denise is as good as Bob Bly when it comes to getting things done (maybe better). She is organized and productive then caps it off with being friendly, helpful and ready with answers to questions.

Speaking with them and with the other writers attending the retreat showed me that I’m not really floundering – I’m getting the hang of a new business.

Having little opportunity to write showed me that I truly value, and benefit from, being able to work in a quiet, solitary environment. As part of being prepared for future retreats, bootcamps, and other workshops, I now know that I have to arrange to have that same kind of quiet.

Was this year’s retreat an entirely positive experience? No. Do we do our best learning when everything goes right?

Here’s a secret lesson – one I learned from my friends. Taking a side step is a normal part of learning. That’s why I’ve avoided the harsher terms we all know, and often use, when looking at things I could have done better.

Sometimes you get the best view by stepping a little to the side.

I made a few side steps and learned valuable lessons without incurring losses. That makes the writer’s retreat a valuable experience. I’m a better copywriter because of it.

[Conrad specializes in creating definitive information products and marketing materials for Fundraising and Business-to-Business clients. Bob Bly says Conrad is the best writer he knows. He is also AWAI’s newest addition to the Wall of Fame. Conrad currently lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada where his favorite pastime is hand-feeding sparrows on the Toronto Islands while mulling new copy for clients. (Conrad@conradhallcopywriting.com or 561-623-9441 (U.S.) or 647-989-9173 (Canada)) Meet Conrad at AWAI’s Bootcamp in Del Ray Beach in November.]

Resource Referral: Special Offer Ends Thursday at Midnight!

In case you missed the note in last Friday’s edition of Copy Protégé about AWAI’s offer to try their Graphic Design Success program for just ONE DOLLAR, we’re re-printing it here. There are only a couple of days left on this special offer so act now if you want to learn more about graphic design.

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top copywriter for Boardroom and others,
and author of the Million-Dollar Ideas System

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If, however, you don’t love it — no problem. This offer comes with our no-questions-asked guarantee. Simply cancel in those first days and you won’t be charged. No questions asked.

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