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You ever come across something written and it’s all just fact after fact after fact?

*SNORE*

That’s the way college and university professors teach us how to share information.

“Just hit ’em with the facts”

Wrong.

You need to paint a picture. A grand vision.

Here’s an example of the ol’ college and university style approach:

The Benefits of Fat Loss

Embarking on a journey to lose fat can lead to significant improvements in your overall health and well-being.

Here are some pure facts highlighting the benefits:

Reduced Risk of Chronic Diseases: Losing excess fat can lower your risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.

Improved Metabolic Health: Fat loss helps regulate blood sugar levels and improves insulin sensitivity.

Enhanced Physical Functionality: Shedding extra pounds can decrease joint pain, improve mobility, and increase energy levels.

Better Mental Health: Fat loss can lead to improved mood, reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression, and higher self-esteem.

Longevity: Maintaining a healthy weight is associated with a longer life expectancy.

Now don’t get me wrong. People need facts even if they’re boring but they honestly don’t move you to do anything about wanting to lose fat and get in shape, even if they know it’s gonna stop them from dying before they hit 40.

The vision version:

Picture this: You roll out of bed, and BAM!

You’re ready to conquer the day like a caffeinated squirrel on a mission. Imagine moving through life with the grace of a ninja, unburdened by the heavy anchor of extra weight. Visualize joining your crew for a hike without turning into a wheezing, sweaty mess.

See yourself playing tag with your kids and actually catching them, or finally rocking that outfit that’s been taunting you from the back of your closet.

Think about the surge of confidence as your body transforms, the ego-boosting compliments raining down from friends and strangers alike. Envision strolling into your doctor’s office, your health stats shining like a beacon of awesome news.

Picture your future self, living a life that’s longer, healthier, and packed with kickass experiences instead of medical bills and regret…

Obviously it’s a little basic but it was just written to illustrate a point.

If you want to indoctrinate people into your world and share your ideas and win them to your way of thinking. You need to paint a vision of what life can be like etc.

You can apply this to your characters in your stories or even a story you want to tell your loved ones, friends etc to help win them to your way of thinking. Paint a picture, give them the grand vision and if they question. Then hit them with the facts.

You need to finesse people’s brains a little. The news is doing it. So you might as well get in on the action too.

Stephen Walker

Saul Goodman, the charismatic and morally flexible lawyer from the popular TV show “Better Call Saul,” offers a number of lessons on charisma and persuasive communication.

Since persuasive communication is my jam and I get asked occasionally how I can be so charismatic.

Which is weird cause I don’t class my self as that. I’m just a regular silly goose who just doesn’t seem to care all too much about what people think of me.

So maybe that’s part of it?

Well, when it comes to creating characters or at least even telling a story here are some of the cool things I’ve picked up from watching Saul in the show…

Confidence: Saul exudes confidence, even when his back is against the wall. This self-assurance often convinces others to trust in his abilities and follow his lead, a key trait of charismatic individuals.

Communication Skills: Saul is a master of verbal communication. He knows how to tailor his language, tone, and pitch to suit his audience, making him highly effective at persuasion. His ability to spin any situation to his advantage is a hallmark of his character.

Humour: Saul often uses humour to disarm those around him and to diffuse tense situations. His quick wit and ability to make people laugh endear him to clients and viewers alike.

Adaptability: Saul is highly adaptable, able to shift his strategies and tactics depending on the situation. This flexibility not only helps him navigate complex legal and ethical challenges but also enhances his appeal to a broad audience.

Empathy: Although often used for manipulative purposes, Saul’s ability to understand and play into the emotions of others is a critical component of his charisma. He often portrays himself as the underdog or aligns himself with the struggles of his clients, making them feel understood and supported.

Boldness: Saul is unafraid to take risks, whether in his choice of flamboyant marketing strategies or in the courtroom. This boldness is attractive and commands attention, contributing to his charismatic image.

Resourcefulness: Saul’s ability to think on his feet and come up with creative solutions to problems is another key aspect of his charisma. He often turns seemingly hopeless situations around through sheer ingenuity.

Presentation: Saul knows the power of a strong visual presentation. His flashy suits and office decor are meticulously chosen to craft an image that is both memorable and authoritative.

Now I’d say be more Saul but you’ll need to watch out.

His methods and ethics are frequently questionable, his charismatic traits are undeniable and play a crucial role in his ability to influence and persuade others. It’s important to note that while these traits contribute to his success, they also underscore the potential dangers of charisma when detached from a strong ethical foundation.

This is why politicians, presidents and just bad people overall can end up rising to the top very quickly.

So yeah, Be more Saul but without all the bad juju.

Stephen Walker.

P.S. Picked up this poster cause it was bloody epic: Better Call Saul

Gary Provost is one of my favourite writers. He added so much to the craft.

He also pissed a lot of “Scholars” of writing off too.

He also annoyed a lot of the ad men from the Mad Men era of marketing. Purely because of the way he approached writing, especially sentences.

Here’s one of my favourite quotes/reminders and if you master this. You’ll magnetise your readers to your work. No matter what it is that you choose to share with the written word…

“This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety.

Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes, when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals–sounds that say listen to this, it is important.”

Your English teachers and people who read a lot will always say that run on sentences are bad, but you can make ’em work if you write them like a piece of music.

Food for thought eh?

Stephen Walker

P.S. 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing by Gary Provost is an amazing little read. There’s a few things in there that I don’t agree with but that’s just me. 

There’s just something about the old spaghetti westerns that get my thinking.

Yes they’re not always the most flash, especially cause they were shot well before CGI.

I mean they were shot well before I and may others were even born.

They are cinema marvels though.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is my all time favourite and it’s one that I watch at least twice a year.

There’s minimal dialogue but it’s impactful, the story is simple and the tension between scenes is always exciting no matter how many times you’ve watched it.

If you’d like to spice up your writing and the way you tell stories. I’d highly recommend watching it over and over.

In fact. That’s what I’m going to do right now.

Stephen Walker

When I’m not writing horror, filth or advertising copy.

I’m always dabbling with my own philosophy on how I see the world, how I do my work and how I want to help people think differently.

It’s a tough gig cause there’s way too much information out there and there are also way too many people telling you that your way is wrong.

This is where when you take a craft like writing and force yourself to do it every single day, without fail, even when you don’t want to and churn out something. Your brain magically starts to compartmentalize ideas. It’s what I call content assimilation.

I wouldn’t say it’s new. It’s just something a lot of people don’t talk about purely because they’re trying to sell you something that won’t work.
(I’ll talk more about content assimilation in another email cause it’ll deserve it’s own bit of spotlight)

I was just reminded by boy Ben Settle that sticking to your philosophy and constantly tweaking and growing as you go is what you need to do.

Especially in a world where creatives try and pound their chests on social media.

Announcing how great they are…

(You’re not great if you have to keep telling the world how great you are)

Greatness is acknowledged when you put in the time. You make the sacrifice and put out the words, content and ideas that you readers/fans will inevitably read.

The only thing you have control of is putting yourself out there, followed by moulding your philosophy surrounding what it is you do.

It’s why I write. I write for self-discovery and it helps me shape the way I see the world and people.

It’s about progress and not perfection. It’s about vulnerability instead of fake confidence.

Funnily, the more vulnerable you are the more confident you come across.

So whether I share my books or talk about advertising and psychology there’s always going to be an underlying philosophy around why I do the things I do.

It’s why you’ve probably followed me on places like Twitter or LinkedIn it’s also probably why you’ve joined my little cult inside of The Silly Goose Society.

I like to test the limits of what people look for on social media. I post what I post deliberately to filter out people who won’t get my humour and ideas. I don’t take myself too seriously but I do love to have conversations about a lot of wild topics which will then lead me to be able to write about it too.

That’s a win win strategy in my books. So having a reason behind what you do. A philosophy.

That is what will set you apart from the others competing for attention in a world where connection is overlooked.
This also applies to how interact with people at work, or how you treat your loved ones.

There’s always a philosophy around how you act and it’s what will draw and repel people from you.

If you ever want to talk about this. I’m all ears. Hit reply and let’s go.

Stephen Walker

You wake up one day and decide you want to become an expert in whatever it is you’re working in.

Even if it’s just a hobby.

Everyone believes you need to have degrees and hundreds of years worth of experience to even be considered an “expert”

So let me give you the permission to call yourself an expert. If you’re willing to put in the work and hone your craft day in and day out. You can call yourself an expert.

The thing is. You only need to know a little more than the person needing your services/product/thing to stand out.

Obviously it’s a specialist thing like heart surgery, then duh. You better go to medical school, get your degree and get your proper working qualifications.

But we’re talking about the day to day things that people do on auto-pilot, who even think that it’s not of any value at all to anyone else but themselves. (Which is untrue)

I was helping a friend whose been in the dog walking business for a few years, which is also a pain in the ass to get into here in England. So much red tape and public liability insurance loop holes to dance around… blah blah blah.

Long story short. She kept getting asked by friends and family on how they could get involved or at least get started with their own little dog walking side hustle.

So basically the only thing I did was advised her to document her process. How she got started. From building a basic website. Getting all the legal bits sorted and also how to go about getting her first few clients.

She typed it up and made it all pretty and sold it to them for $27. A little PDF guide on how to get started as a dog walker.

There’s a lot of free information out there but being able to put it together in an actionable way is what sets everything else apart. It’s also what considers you to be an expert if you are able to make it make sense.

So if you look at this from a birds eye view. ANYTHING you are good at that people may have an interest in. Can be packaged up simply and position you as the expert.

As long as you’re genuine with your intentions, giving them actionable advice and support. You be the expert.

You can expertly tease them with the ideas through the conversations you have and then just present them with the offer.

So whether you’re a dog walker, pole dancer, landscaper, writer, musician etc etc.

This all applies.

You never know. These are the types of things you can turn into a full time income and break away from the wild 9-5 grind that everyone despises.

You have expertise inside of you. Now you just need to figure out how to best package it for the world to see.

Stephen Walker
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21
Greater Manchester
Lancashire
BL6 7JT
United Kingdom

So you wanna brew a villain so nasty you’re itching for their downfall?

Well, there’s no secret that I spend more time creating villains. They’re fun and honestly it’s the main reason we watch a lot of these crazy films. Yes the hero will win, but heroes are boring.

So now I’m gonna let you in on how to cook up a villain so dastardly, so unapologetically vile, that your readers are clawing at the pages (or swiping madly on their e-readers) just to see your hero plant a metaphorical (or literal) boot in their ass?

Well, buckle up, grab a coffee, because I’m about to guide you through the villainous labyrinth of crafting a Big Bad that’s more hated than a cell phone that goes off in a quiet movie theatre.

First off, Make It Personal.

A great villain isn’t just a faceless entity or a nebulous force of evil. No, no, no. Your villain needs to be a thorn in the side, a pebble in the shoe of your hero’s life. Maybe they burned down the hero’s village, swiped their significant other, or – for added spice – they’re the hero’s own flesh and blood.

The more personal you make it, the more readers will salivate for some grade-A comeuppance.

Secondly, you gotta Give ‘Em A Plan. Not just any plan, though. I’m talking about a scheme that’s as complex and intricate as a Rube Goldberg machine, but with the stakes cranked to eleven.

This plan should make the reader’s stomach knot up with tension. It should be something grandiose, with layers that peel back like some kind of sinister onion, each layer revealing a new level of “Oh crap, they did WHAT?”

Now, let’s talk Charisma. Yes, charisma. Your villain should drip it like a leaky faucet.

They might be as wicked as a sack full of scorpions, but oooh, make them charming. Whether it’s a silver tongue, a magnetic personality, or a devilish wit – if your readers love to hate them, then baby, you’re golden.

Think of the smooth-talking charmers who could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves. That’s your villain.

Moving on, Flaw Them Deeply. A perfect villain is a boring villain. Give them weaknesses that your hero can exploit. Maybe they’re hubristic, prone to underestimating others, or maybe they have a soft spot for an old flame or a pet armadillo.

These flaws make your villain relatable and beatable, which is crucial unless you want to write a story of unending despair (you monster.)

Finally, let’s get to The Clash. The hero versus villain showdown should be like the climax of a great symphony – all instruments blaring, timpani banging, and the audience on the edge of their seats. This battle, whether of wits, words, or weapons, should feel inevitable and satisfying.

Build it up throughout your narrative, sprinkle hints of what’s to come, then deliver a finale that’s as cathartic as popping a zit.

The clash is one of the most important parts so as a little bonus. This is how you can spice it up even more.

1. Raise the Stakes

First up, you need stakes that are higher than a kite on a windy day. We’re not just talking about personal stakes (though those are juicy and essential), but something bigger, broader—a threat that looms over more than just your hero’s head. Maybe the villain’s plan will reshape the world as we know it, or maybe their win means a significant ideological shift in the universe. Whatever it is, make it gargantuan.

2. Location, Location, Location

The setting of your final showdown affects everything: the mood, the tactics available to both sides, the scope and scale of the battle. Choose a location that amplifies the tension. Volcano lair?

Classic.

A crumbling suspension bridge? Heart-pounding.

A space station with a malfunctioning gravity core? Sci-fi gold.

Match the location with the theme of your story for maximum impact.

3. Personal Dynamics

This battle should be more than just a clash of fists or wits; it should be a clash of ideals and emotions. Weave in personal history and pain points. Maybe the villain is the hero’s former mentor or their sibling.

Each blow can be a line of dialogue that cuts to the bone, making the fight as emotionally charged as it is physically brutal.

4. Unexpected Twists

Throw in a couple of curveballs. Just when the audience thinks they know how this is going to go down, flip the script. Maybe the villain gains an unexpected upper hand, or an ally of the hero betrays them at the worst possible moment. Keep your readers on their toes.

5. Hero’s Growth Reflection

The hero should use everything they’ve learned throughout the story during this final battle. This is their moment to shine, to show how much they’ve changed and grown. Have them use a new skill, a piece of knowledge, or an emotional truth they’ve come to embrace to turn the tide.

6. Satisfying Conclusion

The resolution of the clash should feel earned. Avoid deus ex machina solutions that can deflate the tension. The hero should win through their own efforts, cleverness, and sacrifices. This victory should wrap up not just the fight but also their character arc, providing a satisfying closure to their journey.

7. Epic Description

Don’t just tell us the hero swung and hit the villain. Show us the swing, make us feel the impact, describe the consequences of that hit in vivid detail.

Use dynamic, sensory language to paint the battle in the minds of your readers. Let them hear the clash, smell the sweat and blood, and feel the raw emotion and adrenaline.

So no matter what you do. Your villain will be the most hated and loved character and when the clash is over. Your readers will fall in love with the hero. That’s how you tug on your readers heart-strings.

Stephen Walker.

P.S. Check out Writing Dynamite Story Hooks by Jackson Dean Chase it’ll help you write in a way that drags the readers by their eyeballs and gets you cranking out hooks left and right.

You received this email because you subscribed to my list. You can unsubscribe and stop getting my daily emails.

I’m not clingy like that ex who won’t stop calling or sends you 45400 texts a week.

21
Greater Manchester
Lancashire
BL6 7JT
United Kingdom

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