EMM13: "Good Noticing: A Whole-Body Strategy" by Tarn Wilson
My roommates and I own a yodeling pickle.
… that is not a typo.
It's made of hard green plastic, and when you press its button — it yodels.
The pickle has become part of an ongoing prank, where one of us hides it somewhere in another's possessions until it's found…
Then the process repeats itself.
For the past few months, the pickle has been hiding somewhere among my things.
I have known this, but taken no steps to locate it. My roommates are good at hiding stuff, so I knew the search would be unsuccessful…
And I'd end up with some form of mental blue balls.
So instead, I waited.
And Sunday night, while talking on the phone, I discovered the pickle hiding in a pair of house slippers.
After hanging up, I walked downstairs and grabbed my roommate Cody's box of drink mix packets.
I shuffled the contents and stuffed the pickle down to the bottom.
Yesterday morning, he found it.
"Dude, you got me with the talking pickle!" he said. "I was reaching in the box and thought 'Ooh is that a Clif bar?,' then I heard the yodeling!"
Here's the thing about stumbling upon a yodeling pickle in your possessions:
It's hard not to notice.
Unsurprisingly, the yodeling gives it away.
But if you want to send compelling emails to your list on a regular basis — you'll need to notice more than the obvious, yodeling-pickle-type things.
What you notice in your life eventually becomes the topics of your emails. And the more things you notice, the more potential email topics you have.
The more topics you have to pull from…
The better your emails will be.
So, as simple as it sounds, "noticing things" is a foundational part of good email marketing for personal brands.
And that's what this week's episode of Email Marketing Motivation is all about.
The Piece
After you finish reading, scroll down for the lessons.
Lessons We Can Learn From This Piece
1. Do Things.
Wilson opens this piece with a description of a mindfulness class she once attended:
"Several years ago, I took a beginning mindfulness class. It was held in a sad room in a hospital: no windows; buzzing fluorescent lights; uncomfortable plastic chairs. But I loved our instructor. She was probably in her late forties, with long russet hair and thick bangs that almost covered her eyes. When she sat in her chair, her feet didn’t touch the ground, and she swung them like a little girl. She had a vaguely Eastern European accent that gave her an air of therapeutic authority.
She led us through the basic exercises: breathing, body scans. Afterward, she would ask us about our experience. No matter what anyone said, she responded, “Good noticing!” An angry man railed against mindful walking: too slow and boring; it hurt. “Good noticing!” Some, eager for approval, leaned forward, tried to make eye contact, and raved about the deep breathing. But they didn’t win extra points. They got the same, “Good noticing!” How strange it felt to be praised, not just for the quality of our noticing, but for noticing at all.
Since then I have been considering the power of noticing in the writing life."
While she definitely could have found a way to start this piece without the story from her mindfulness class…
Having a story like that certainly helps get the ball rolling.
Writers need material. And if you want to write emails that subscribers read, respond to, and buy from…
Then you need material too.
That doesn't mean you need to log onto American Airlines and buy a one-way to NYC for the weekend…
But it does mean you need to do something.
The good news is that my definition of "doing something" is pretty damn broad.
It can include listening to a podcast, watching a movie, going for a walk, you name it.
The point isn't to become a busy-body or someone who hashtags #jetsetlifestyle on all your Instagram posts.
The point is to have something to talk about. And the easiest way to make that happen is to, oh I don't know…
Actually experience life.
So if you want to write effective emails — say "yes" to dinner plans, watch the movie that's been on your list forever, do things.
Not only will they make your emails more interesting…
They'll make your life more interesting.
2. Pay Attention.
In addition to doing things — you also have to pay attention while you're doing those things.
That's what this whole piece is about:
Noticing.
If I write an email that starts with…
"I went to the theatre yesterday and saw that new Venom movie…" *
… it’s kind of interesting. But if I start with this instead…
"I went to the theatre yesterday to see that new Venom movie. But after taking my seat in the theatre…
The movie was the least of my interest.
Three seats to my right sat a man wearing a 3-piece suit, eating an entire bag of Twizzlers…
One after the other…
Like it was the only thing he'd eaten in weeks…"
… it’s MUCH more interesting.
* It's worth noting here, as a matter of self-respect, that I did NOT go see the new Venom movie… nor will I. Superhero movies aren't my thing. And this one seems cheesy AF.
But the only way you get to that second version is by paying attention.
Slow down. Look around. Open a note on your phone and write down anything you think might make a good email topic.
3. Pick The Right Details.
Check out this line:
"It was held in a sad room in a hospital: no windows; buzzing fluorescent lights; uncomfortable plastic chairs."
It's 18-words long. But within those 18 words, you know exactly what Wilson is talking about.
She's picked the most important details and used those to paint a picture of the room she was in.
She doesn't need to give a complete description of everything about the room, because with these details alone…
You can picture the room in your mind.
That's why it's important to pick the right details. It makes your writing more concise and more interesting.
So — what are the right details?
Unfortunately, there's no clear-cut picture here. But a good place to start is something like this:
Which details can I use that give the clearest picture possible with the least words possible?
4. Read.
A few weeks ago, I took a short story writing class. At the end of it, the instructor left a few minutes for Q&A, and I asked him this:
"When you're writing a short story that just falls flat — how do you diagnose the problem or figure out how to make it better?"
Here's a shorter, butchered version of his response:
"That's why it's important to read a lot. As you read more, you'll be able to see what good writing looks like. And you'll be able to tell the difference between the stories you're writing and the good ones you're reading."
The truth is:
There's so much that goes into good writing it can be hard to break it down into pieces.
And while I do recommend you do this sometimes — this conscious analysis of good writing — I also recommend reading on a regular basis.
Eventually, if you read enough, your writing will naturally improve — without any conscious effort…
Which falls right in-line with the George Saunders quote about editing that Wilson mentions in the piece:
"There’s not an intellectual or analytic component to this; it’s more of an impulse, one that results in a feeling of ‘Ah, yes, that’s better.’ All art begins in that moment of intuitive preference."
5. Practice Self-Awareness.
Many (but not all) of the things that make you a better writer also help make you a better person.
Practicing self-awareness is absolutely one of those things.
Here's how Positive Psychology defines self-awareness:
"Self-awareness is the ability to see yourself clearly and objectively through reflection and introspection."
Odds are, if you're emailing your list on a regular basis — you'll be writing about yourself a lot. And that's okay.
But in my opinion, the most interesting writers are the ones who possess a solid degree of self-awareness — the ability to view themselves and their lives objectively.
They're able to go out into life, do things, pay attention, then bring back the "lessons" from those things, and share them with readers.
Here's an example from the final paragraph of Wilson's piece:
"I have a history of approaching all writing problems— all problems, really— by working harder. But sometimes what our writing needs most is not more effort but more acute, more specific noticing. These days, my writing life seems to want less pushing and more truth telling. More bringing of my whole body to living, to language, and to the writing process. My writing wants less of my drama. I’m like that grouchy man in the mindfulness class: I resist, I flail, I complain. I’m terrified. But now—overwrought toddler that I can be—I’m learning to pay attention. I hear that slightly Eastern European voice speaking without judgement, only pleasure: “Good noticing!” she says."
There's a strong sense of self-awareness and growth in this section.
As a reader, you get the sense that Wilson has gone out into the world and learned the difficult lesson. Now, she's bringing it back and sharing it with you.
If you're writing emails to your list — that's part of your goal.
I'd argue that your first goal is to be entertaining. Because that’s what will keep people reading your emails.
But after that, your job is to share "lessons" like this with readers.
That combination of entertainment and information — "infotainment," as it’s called — is what keeps people reading.
And many times, the way you get to the "info" part of that equation is by being willing to take an objective look at yourself and your life…
See what there is to learn…
Do the work of learning that thing…
Then sharing the "lesson" with your readers.
How To Apply These Lessons To Your Email Marketing ASAP
Here's a quick summary of the lessons from this piece:
Do Things.
Pay Attention.
Pick The Right Details.
Read.
Practice Self-Awareness.
And here’s how you can apply them to your email marketing:
Do something. Then write an email about it.
This is about as straightforward as it gets.
Watch a movie…
Listen to a podcast…
Go to dinner with a friend…
Then write an email about it.
Highlight an important point from the podcast…
Summarize the theme of the movie…
Or tell a story about a specific part of the dinner conversation…
Then either share a lesson…
Or have readers click a link to read an article or learn more about one of your products.
If you want detailed guidance from me on how to do this…
Here's What You Should Do Next
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