EMM01: "Big Boy" by David Sedaris
In September 2019, I found myself wandering between the bright wooden shelves of Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon.
At some point in this wandering, I looked down to a shelf that fell somewhere between the height of my knees and my waist — thigh-level, let's call it — and noticed a book by David Sedaris titled:
Theft By Finding: Diaries (1977–2002)
For years, I've wanted to write a book. And for years, I have failed to do so.
One thing I haven't failed to do, however, is fill hundreds — maybe even thousands — of pages of journal entries. Wild ramblings that trickle down from my brain to my fingers and hammer their way onto some poor blank page.
So the idea that someone could write a book filled entirely with diary entries was wildly appealing to me. For some reason, though, I can't exactly say why — I didn't buy that book.
But I never forgot about it.
So in late 2020, when I found myself wandering between the bright wooden shelves of McKay's Books in Nashville, Tennessee, I was looking for Theft By Finding…
And I found it.
I read it in early 2021 and enjoyed Sedaris's clear and honest writing style. Being an email copywriter — it's easy to see the parallel between his diary entries and the way I approach storytelling emails.
I expand on it more here…
But the general idea is that, if you're an author, speaker, coach, consultant, etc. — you can use stories from your daily life as powerful emails that help you develop a genuine connection with your readers and make sales.
A few months after reading Theft By Finding, I read another book by Sedaris — Me Talk Pretty One Day — and fell even more in love with his writing style.
You don't actively read anything written by David Sedaris. Instead, you glance at the first few words, then a few minutes later, you look up and realize you've already made it through the entire piece.
This is the mark of a great writer. And it's a valuable skill to apply to your email marketing as well. But we'll talk about that more in a second.
For now, let's talk about a piece from Me Talk Pretty One Day.
It's called "Big Boy," and it's the piece I'm featuring in our inaugural episode of Email Marketing Motivation.
"Big Boy" is a great story, because it goes to show that, if you go through life paying close attention, you can write a good story about nearly anything.
So let's read the story and then see how you can apply it to your email marketing.
(After you finish reading, scroll down for the lessons)
Done Reading?
Alright, Here Are The Lessons We Can Learn From This Piece:
1. Stay On The Lookout For Stories In Your Daily Life.
This is literally a story about a turd in a toilet.
Sedaris wrote a fantastic 713-word piece about being trapped in a bathroom with a gigantic shit that was not his.
I know this might sound silly. But there's an important point here:
You don't need to live an interesting life to write interesting stories… you just need to pay attention.
Stories present themselves to you every day. But the only way you'll be able to write about them is if you're paying attention.
To do that — I recommend keeping a note on your phone where you write down the interesting things that happen to you throughout the day…
Along with any key details, quotes, or things you'd want to include if you wrote about the event.
That way, when you sit down to write an email to your list, you'll already have the "raw material" for a good email.
"Big Boy" is a great example of the fact that, if you pay close attention, you can turn even the smallest, most mortifying events into entertaining stories.
2. Get Into The Action Quickly.
By the third sentence, Sedaris has introduced the main conflict in the story — the absolute unit of a turd in the toilet.
He sets the scene quickly and then gets into the action.
Notice what he doesn't tell you.
He doesn't say anything about what the bathroom looked like. He doesn't tell you who all was at the party, other than his sister, Amy, and John. He doesn't say anything about the neighborhood.
Why?
Because those things are irrelevant to the story.
Adding specific details to a story is great — but only when they are relevant to the action and the character involved in it.
So the next time you write a storytelling email — keep that in-mind. Give the reader details, but make sure they're relevant to what's happening.
Don't include details just for the hell of it.
3. Personalize Inanimate Objects To Turn Them Into The Enemy.
This is subtle, but it's one of the things that makes this story great.
Notice how Sedaris talks about this monster turd. He calls it a "big boy." He says it "roused around." He says "the beast spun in a lazy circle."
He's not talking about it like an object. He's talking about it as if it's an animal. (So maybe "personalizing" isn't the right verb here. But you get my point.)
It's like this turd has a mind and agenda of its own. And that's what makes it a formidable opponent.
Giving an inanimate object a personality, along with a goal of its own, is a great way to set it up as the "enemy" in your story.
4. Make It Relatable.
Unfortunate as it is, this is a story everyone can relate to.
We've all found ourselves in the bathroom with a "piece of work" while someone is knocking at the door, alright? Let's not act like we haven't.
Because of that, you immediately have sympathy for Sedaris. You know what it's like to be in his shoes. And because of that, you keep reading.
So even if you're telling a story that you don’t think anyone else has experienced...
Focus on the parts of the story other people have experienced — the emotions.
The embarrassment. The stress. The burden of dealing with a problem you didn't create.
5. Ramp Up The Tension.
Notice how Sedaris doesn't try to play it cool in the story. He brings the reader into the problem with him.
He increases the tension, telling you that he "started to panic…"
He's "trapped…"
And he even "considered lifting this monster out of the toilet and tossing it out the window."
You can feel the tension in the story. That's one of the things that makes it great.
So, when you tell stories in your emails, ask yourself this question:
"How can I increase the tension in this story?"
The more you increase the tension, the more likely people are to keep reading.
6. Don't Be Afraid To End On A Cliffhanger.
Notice that the end of the story isn't really the end of the story.
Yes, it's the end of the scene. But as he walks out of the bathroom, another story is just beginning:
Sedaris is trying to figure out who created the big boy.
Cliffhangers are a great tool to use in your email marketing — especially when it comes to automations like your Welcome Sequence.
You can tell a story in an email, end that story on a cliffhanger, and encourage people to read your next email to find out what happens.
7. Try To Make Your Emails Effortless To Read.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, Sedaris is an incredible writer. As a reader, you fall through the words he's written.
Most of us mortals can't hope to reach his skill level, but there is one thing you can do to make your emails easier to read:
Edit them.
This might sound basic, but if you go through your copy again after you write it, you'll notice words you can simplify, transitions you can smooth out, and places you can explain things more clearly.
(If you want help editing your emails, check out my course, Stories That Sell.)
How To Apply These Lessons To Your Email Marketing ASAP
Part of becoming a better writer is reading. The other part is writing. Now that we've done the reading part — let's tackle the writing.
Over the weekend, identify a minor event — like being trapped in a bathroom with a giant turd — that you can turn into a story.
Then, next week, write an email to your list about it using the tips in this post.
Here's an example of an email like this.
And here are all those tips again in a nice, tidy little list:
Stay on the lookout for stories in your daily life.
Get into the action quickly.
Personalize inanimate objects to turn them into the enemy.
Make it relatable.
Ramp up the tension.
Don't be afraid to end on a cliffhanger.
Try to make your emails effortless to read.
Here's What You Should Do Next
Thanks for reading Email Marketing Motivation. Here's what you should do next:
Click here and join my email list. I'll give you a heads up when I publish the next episode of Email Marketing Motivation, AND you'll get free access to my subject line copywriting handbook, Subject Line Shortcuts.
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Check out my course, Stories That Sell, if you want my comprehensive guide on how to write storytelling emails that earn more money for your business and help you connect with your audience in a genuine way.