Notes from Abroad
James Joyce's Punctuation (and Lack Thereof)
James Joyce does things with punctuation that should not work. Long stretches of prose with no periods. Sentences that start without capitals. Dialogue that runs into narration without quotation marks. A copyeditor would have a heart attack. The writing works. The punctuation choices make it work.
Why Pop Music Made Me a Better Copywriter
For years, pop music was something I dismissed. Too simple. Too polished. Too eager to please. Then I started paying attention. Copywriting works the same way.
The Best Travel Advice is Also the Best Copywriting Advice
Someone once told me that the secret to travel is to stop trying to see everything and start trying to actually be somewhere. When I write copy, I ask myself the same question I learned to ask about travel. Are you trying to be everywhere at once? Or are you actually trying to be somewhere?
Lost in Translation: Why Direct Copy Never Works
I’ve spent enough time in countries where I don’t speak the language to know that Google Translate is a liar. It will give you words. It will not give you meaning. A direct translation might be technically correct, but it almost never lands the way you want it to. Meaning lives in context, in tone, in the gaps between words. What works in one language often sounds hollow or strange when carried straight across.
Three Countries, Three Languages, and One Lesson About Brand Voice
I have lived in Thailand, Germany, and China. Nine years across three countries, where I arrived speaking almost none of the language each time. You learn quickly that communication is not about knowing the right words. It is about reading the room.
Why I Read ‘Lolita’ to Learn Empathy in Marketing
I first picked up Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita because of my 100 Greatest Novels project. I knew its reputation: beautiful prose, impossible subject matter. I assumed the experience would be academic. I would admire the sentences from a safe distance and return it to the shelf. Instead, it broke something in me.