Write This Way (How The World’s Fastest Copywriter Escaped Corporate Idiocy)

In yesterday’s email, I told you how Jack Turk quit his job at Microsoft to become a party magician and, later, “The World’s Fastest Copywriter.”

Last night, over cocktails at the hotel bar in Baltimore, I learned the story behind that story. 

Our new friend Al asked Jack, “Why’d you quit your  job at Microsoft?” 

Turns out the answer was not as simple as “because I always wanted to work as a magician.” 

As a game designer at Microsoft, Jack had been assigned an important task: Write the manual for a game called “Age of Empires.” 

Jack wrote the 150-page manual in 10 days, and he was feeling proud of the accomplishment…

…until he met with his boss for his annual review. 

Jack’s boss had read the manual and delivered his verdict: “You’re not a good writer.” 

Jack was stunned. “I’m not a good writer?” he replied. 

The boss shot back, “No you’re not. You write like you talk.” 

Jack was not yet a world class copywriter, but he knew this much about the craft: 

Writing like you talk is a GOOD thing! 

That’s true for game manuals. That’s definitely true for marketing copy. 

So right there and then, Jack knew, “I’m working for an idiot.” 

Soon after that annual review, he gave notice and launched his career as a magic-maker. 

All of us around the table at the bar agreed that’s a helluva story. 

But wait…

…there’s more.

Right as Jack was telling us about “Age of Empires,” some dude walks into the bar and overheard us. The stranger strolled up to our table and said to Jack, “You worked on Age of Empires!?” 

Jack nodded and said, “I wrote the manual.” 

The dude was stunned. “No way!” he said. “I loved that game.” 

And then Jack repeated the story about the idiot boss who thought Jack wrote wrong. 

The stranger (I never caught his name) said, “I learned that game when I was 14 years old because your manual was so clear and easy to read.” 

It was if the copywriting gods sent us an angel to deliver a testimonial from the heavens, to reinforce the idea…

…Writing like you talk is a good thing.

That’s how great manual writers do it. That’s how great copywriters do it. That’s how great storytellers do it. 

I’ll show you how to do it consistently and effectively if you if you become a Story Power VIP (see p.s. #3).