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Skill building beats more information
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Reading time: 1.56 450 words Hey Reader, Stand up comedy is way less horrifying than socialising. That’s the premise of my five-minute stand-up set, which I’m performing in Bristol on December 14 to around 250 people. EEP. I’ve been writing and rewriting, and watching other comedians, and reading, and doing more tweaking, and being, generally, terrified. What I WASN’T doing was testing it out on anyone, even myself. So on Saturday afternoon during a hike with one of my besties, I went through my set — and instantly felt better. My friend gave me some notes, laughed a bit, got a bit confused in a couple of places, made some suggestions. I did some more tweaking and rewriting. Still didn’t practise though. And then last night I performed my set to the rest of the comedy coaching crowd and our resident stand-up comedian, Greg. I was very nervous because I wasn’t sure it was actually funny. Wasn’t sure I was actually funny. Reader, it went REALLY well. And the reason is twofold:
I was really tempted to just… not do it last night. But I’m so glad I did. Because I had read and watched and tweaked enough and there comes a point where I just have to grab myself by the hair and drag myself in front of the microphone and DO THE DAMN THING. So I’m going to run through it at least once a day for the next two weeks so there’s no chance I’ll forget any of it or run over time or cry on stage. There’s only so much reading and prepping we can do; at some point we have to pull up our big pants and get on with it. Skill building > more information. I didn’t need more info about comedy technique. You don’t need more info about writing. Our brains confuse information with action — procrastilearning — and we get stuck in a loop. We just need to get on with it. Sometimes all we need is a trusted guide and a bit of practice. Which is what I’m offering in January. Starting on January 6, I’m hosting a writing practice skill-building challenge the likes of which you will not have done before. It’s going to be fun. You’ll learn more about yourself in 30 days than you ever thought possible. And by the end of it you’ll have a body of work to be proud of, and a writing practice you’ll want to keep doing. And you only need about 20 minutes a day. ​Get on the waiting list here and you’ll be the first to get all the details.
TTFN, Vicky 🫡 p.s. Know someone who might enjoy this email? Please forward it to them and get them to sign up here.
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Learn to Write Like You Mean It
Join 500+ writers, creatives, misfits, and weirdos and learn to write like you mean it in 10 minutes a week. Get ONE practical tip, story, or shenanigan every Tuesday + a creative goodie bag on Friday 🖖🏼
Reading time: 3.01 716 words Read this email in your browser. Hey Reader, Traditionally, I would rather walk into the chicken coop and fall over face first into a pile of hen poo than write a landing page. Despite my background as a copywriter, writing landing pages is my least favourite thing to do in marketing. I will always find something more pressing to do, like pluck those weird hairs off my big toe. So when I decided to do a New Thing, I avoided the landing page like it was Nigel...
Reading time: 2.01 478 words Read this email in your browser. Hey Reader, I was still squatted on my rock like Gollum, watching the tide come back. “I’ll see you back at the tent,” he said. I waved and blew a kiss, and turned back to my sunset and my tide. I’d been there for about an hour, just watching. Estuaries are cool. If you stand still for long enough, herons join you. So do sandpipers and oystercatchers. But I was there for the patterns made by the tide meeting the river flow. Which...
Reading time: 1.38 386 words Read this email in your browser. Hey Reader, Like most animals, I am highly motivated by treats. Get myself to the dentist? Little treat. Clean the bathroom? Little treat. Write my daily email? Ring a bell, little treat. Ring a bell? Salivate at the prospect of a little treat. Easy peasy; habit formed. Right? Wrong. They’re not habits, they’re complex behaviours rewarded with a little treat. Which is fine as far as it goes but let me ask you this: Do you want...