What is a Carrotdangler?

Carrotdangler is just one of the ways I describe what I do for a living as a marketing writer. 

Why?

In the old days, if a pack animal such as a mule or donkey, stubbornly refused to move, they would dangle a carrot in front of it ... just out of reach. The mule would start walking forward to reach the carrot.

As a marketing writer, I find similarities with my job and the job of the mule drivers:

I'm paid to write an offer that is so enticing it causes the target audience to move towards it.

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NOTE: If you're curious about any of the other descriptors, such as forestseer or stickweilder, ask away: ScottFroth@FastForwardResults.com  

ANOTHER NOTE: I was recently asked about my self-given title of wordwrangler on my LinkedIn Homepage. Cowboys in the USA are often referred to as "wranglers" when they work to get herds of cattle moving in an orderly fashion towards a common destination ... by using wordwrangler, I'm suggesting I do the same thing with words as opposed to livestock

Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Writers in 2023?

About 12 months ago I wrote a blog post with a similar question about 2022. Looking back, not too much has changed, but we have more experience with AI through offerings such as ChatGTP from OpenAI. 

In regards to 2023, I don't know how AI will develop in the long term ... but for the foreseeable future it will need an experienced writer to input the right info for the directions/prompt and then edit/rewrite the output to humanize it and to check facts (AI pulls from the Internet which includes info from unreliable sources).

In other words, AI alone cannot yet be as effective as it needs to be without a properly trained/experienced writer ... it's a tool, not a replacement.

In the words of Paul Smart: "When AI can do subtlety, humour and nuance. In context. I'll hang up my pen. But until then ..."

That being said, don't ignore it.

Learn how to use it.

'Cause it's not going anywhere.

Make sure you're not either.

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The Test

I prompted a popular AI site to write a blog post based on the keyword: Best Copywriting Books. Here it is. The copy is unedited. The only thing I added was the artwork.

The 10 Best Copywriting Books to Help You Become a Professional Copywriter

The reason I chose this prompt, was that I had recently written a blog post on the same subject and thought it would make an interesting comparison:

17 Books Writers Must Read in 2023

I have some definite opinions about the AI written piece, including that these books are being recommended by an entity that hasn't read them and has no ability to determine if they are actually the most helpful for copywriters. I'll spare you a full breakdown, but ...

The most most concerning observation is how quickly it cranked out a 1,000 word article that would be considered acceptable by many people. 

This leads me to believe that the internet is about to be overwhelmed with a deluge of underwhelming content.

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What is ChatGPT Doing ... and Why Does It Work?

Copywriter's Block

The world understands the concept of writer’s block.

Even nonwriters are familiar with idea that sometimes writers stare at a blank page or screen and nothing happens. The words refuse to come.

The blocked copywriter slowly shakes their head.

Walks away from their desk.

Washes the dishes.

Plays with the dog.

Posts a writer’s block lament on social media

Watches Netflix.

Distraught because they have writer’s block and can’t write today.

Hopefully tomorrow the block will be gone, and the words will flow once more.

 

What a huge, steaming pile of donkey dung.

If writing is a hobby for you, fine. Enjoy binge watching “Game of Thrones”.

But, if writing is your job, there’s no such thing as writer’s block.

If you’re a copywriter, you set a schedule of work hours, you show up, you plunk your backside into a chair, and you do your work.

 

Copywriting is a skill.

Like any skill, copywriting can be learned, and – with time and practice – you can become proficient at it.

And like any skill, it can be performed when you’re not inspired.

• During dinner rush, when a trained chef who doesn’t feel like cooking is handed an order for Chicken Parmigiana, he doesn’t say, “I’m gonna take a walk and maybe read a book … I have chef’s block.”
  
  
• When a master plumber doesn’t feel like replacing a wax seal ring on a toilet, she gets her tools from the van and replaces the ring. She doesn’t tell the homeowner, “I’ll be back sometime in the next few days … I have plumber’s block.”
  
  
• As a deadline approaches, if a professional copywriter has an email sequence to write, they don’t stare at a blank screen grumbling about writer’s block. They apply their skills and write the email sequence.

As you refine your skills, you come to understand that writing strong copy is difficult. You look forward to the days when it goes reasonably easily.

But on those days when it seems to be more of a struggle, the problem isn’t writer’s block.

Writer’s block is an excuse for something else.

Address that something else, and the writing will flow with less restriction.

 

That something else

Writer’s block is typically an excuse for one of six things:

You’re reluctant to write poorly

You haven’t run out of things to write; you’re surrendering to an unrealistic expectation that every piece of copy you write must be a dazzling showstopper. The fear that your writing will be subpar becomes paralyzing.

One way past this is to give yourself permission for your first draft to suck. Just open the valve and let it flow.

In the words of author Anne Lamott, “The only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty first drafts. The first draft is the child’s draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later.”

Don’t use the excuse of writer’s block to avoid failure. That’s a recipe that ensures you will fail ‘cause you won’t get your work done and you won’t improve as a writer.

You’re unprepared

Maybe the brief was incomplete. Or you didn’t ask enough of the right questions.

Stop stalling and get back to the client for the details you’re missing. Just don’t wait until you’re up against the deadline.

Pay attention to copywriting guru Dan Kennedy when he says, “Be cautious of anybody too quick to agree on the assignment and race to the keyboard. In sales copywriting, preparation is more than half the battle.”

You’re intimidated by the expectation of results

You feel the pressure of your client’s need for response to your writing. You’re worried that your copy might not generate enough business to justify your compensation. Your old friend imposter syndrome is whispering in your ear.

As a trained copywriter, you are your client’s best shot at success. Think they’ll do better if the CEO or sales manager writes the copy? Or Kevin in accounting who had a shift at his college radio station? Not likely. On your worst day, you’re better than the alternatives.

If the client has an offer that appeals to enough people who want/need that product/service and makes the commitment to properly expose that offer to those people, your copy has a good chance of working. Especially when the writing is guided by your experience with the principles of persuasion and your skills at emotionally connecting with the target audience.

If the writing ain’t coming easy, give it a swift kick in the seat of the pants by picking one of many time-tested copywriting formulas and use that to outline your first draft, such as:

AIDA – Attention, Interest, Desire, Action

PAS – Problem, Agitate, Solve

The 4Ps – Picture, Promise, Proof, Push

Kevin from accounting doesn’t even know these formulas exist, and if you ask him about a CTA, he’ll stare at you blankly and shrug his shoulders.

Of course, copy doesn’t always perform as desired. Nobody scores every time they have the ball. Keep in mind this statement from one of the most successful copywriters of all time, Eugene Schwartz: “Failing often, and testing big differences shows you are doing enough as a copywriter.”

You don’t trust your process

Over time, you’ve developed a process for writing. It may differ from how other copywriters approach their assignments, but it works for you.

Maybe you devote more time to research and revision. Maybe you use freewriting to coalesce your thoughts. Maybe you need thinking time to allow your research to percolate before writing your first draft.

Learn from author and writing coach Anne Janzer: “It’s taken me years to learn to trust that process. It’s always tempting to think that this time is different, that I can go faster by skipping a step. I nearly always regret it when I do.”

Don’t second guess your process. Just start where you always start and follow it through to the end. It won’t let you down.

You’re waiting for Inspiration

Yes, creativity is necessary for excellent copywriting, but skills are the foundation of the craft. Don’t fall into the trap of treating writing like an exclusively creative endeavor instead of a job. These guys sum it up perfectly:

“If you wait for inspiration to write you’re not a writer, you’re a waiter.” — Dan Poynter

“Professional writers don’t have muses; they have mortgages.” –  Larry Kahaner

You’re a procrastinator

Some of us are. And some of us are just lazy. Sorry I had to be the one to break it to you. It’s not an easy thing to admit to yourself, but sometimes facing the truth can help us overcome bad habits and succeed where we otherwise may have failed.

If you’ve been calling procrastination “writer’s block,” print out this quote and paste it above your screen: “If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting it off.” – Olin Miller

The bottom line

Let’s give the final word to writer Warren Ellis:

‘Writer’s block? I’ve heard of this. This is when a writer cannot write, yes? Then that person isn’t a writer anymore. I’m sorry, but the job is getting up in the fucking morning and writing for a living.”

 

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This piece was featured in: CHANGE MY MIND - an opinionated book on how narratives and content shape the way we see things. You can get a free copy of the eBook at 
https://www.topvoices.co/change-my-mind

The Writer's Block Candle  –  yep it's a real product. Available from the Whiskey River Soap Company https://www.whiskeyriversoap.com/collections/candles-and-matchbooks/products/a-candle-for-writers-block

50 Writers on Writer's Block

 

Writer's block is when the reader in you isn’t loving the writer. – John Mayer

 

Nothing's a better cure for writer's block than to eat ice cream right out of the carton. – Don Roff

 

I don’t think that writer’s block exists really. I think that when you’re trying to do something prematurely, it just won’t come. Certain subjects just need time. . . . You’ve got to wait before you write about them. – Joyce Carol Oates

 

All writing is difficult. The most you can hope for is a day when it goes reasonably easily. Plumbers don’t get plumber’s block, and doctors don’t get doctor’s block; why should writers be the only profession that gives a special name to the difficulty of working, and then expects sympathy for it?  – Philip Pullman

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There’s no such thing as writer’s block.
That was invented by people in California who couldn’t write.

Terry Pratchett

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Writer’s block is an excuse to goof off, be lazy, and procrastinate. Professionals don’t tolerate so-called writer’s block. If you are well enough to sit up and take nourishment, you can write. If you can’t do this, find an easier craft — such as chess grandmaster, rocket scientist, or neurosurgeon. – Peter A. Schaible

 

Blocks usually stem from fear of being judged. If you imagine the world is listening, you'll never write a line. – Erica Jong

Start by asking if this is writer’s laziness as opposed to writer’s block. – James Scott Bell

A little writer's block can be a good thing. Your inner-literary critic's way of gently letting you know you're really stinking up the joint. You're off track. Lost in the weeds. Need to go back and rethink things. Sometimes it's simply a matter of temporarily writing yourself out. Yesterday's slow 'n' steady 3 hour, 600 word quota turned into a 5 hour, 2,000 word marathon. The tank's suddenly dry. Take a breather. Let your subconscious work its magic. The words will come. – Quentin R. Bufogle

There’s no such thing as writer’s block. What there is though, is a reluctance to write poorly. I think sometimes you just have to turn on the valve and clear the crap out of the pipes before you can get the good stuff.  – Sean Turner

Do not worry. You have always written before and you will write now. – Ernest Hemingway

 

Contrary to popular wisdom, being “blocked” is not about running out of things to say. Instead, it’s succumbing to the unrealistic expectation that your work must Be Great Now. It’s a decision to remain silent rather than speak and maybe stumble. It’s the determination to avoid failure, which is a great way to ensure that the humbling work of getting better will never begin. – Joe Fassler

 

I do not believe in it [writer’s block]. My job is to write, not to like what I’m writing. That’s why we edit, and nobody gets editor’s block. – Jason Isbell

 

I believe that the so-called ‘writing block’ is a product of some kind of disproportion between your standards and your performance. One should lower his standards until there is no felt threshold to go over in writing. It’s easy to write. You just shouldn’t have standards that inhibit you from writing. – William Stafford

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As a writer, blocked (for me) means there is something that
went wrong in my process and it's time to backtrack
(which is often part of the process itself anyway).

Marc Cinanni

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There's no such thing as writer's block for me. I consider this an indulgence. That's because writing is my job. It pays the bills. I just get on with it. I'm motivated by deadlines, cashflow, supporting my family and my company. – Linda Aitchison

 

When a person says that they are suffering from ‘writer’s block,’ what they often mean is that they have some ideas, but they think all of those ideas are unoriginal or unworthy.– Devon Price

 

When you experience writers block, just bark, meow or make a funny sound to get your whole body functioning again ... works all the time... – Emmanuel Adams

 

The best copywriters are the most tenacious researchers. Like miners, they dig, drill, dynamite, and chip until they have carloads of valuable ore. John Caples advised me once to gather seven times more interesting information than I could possibly use... Research is the infallible cure for writer's block. – Gary Bencivenga 

 

Writer's block is a fancy term made up by whiners so they can have an excuse to drink alcohol. - Steve Martin

 

If you get writer’s block, consider whether it’s because you’re not being honest enough. You might be blocked because what you really need to write, you’re unwilling to let it out yet. – Neil Gaiman

 

It’s not the fear of writing that blocks people, it’s the fear of not writing well; something quite different. – Scott Berkun

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You can’t think yourself out of a writing block;
you have to write yourself out of a thinking block.

John Rogers

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Writer’s block doesn’t exist…lack of imagination does. – Cyrese Covelli

Writer's block: That moment when you freeze on the bridge between expectation and reality. – Joyce Rachelle
 

Writing about a writer's block is better than not writing at all. – Charles Bukowski

If you have writer's block, dig into it. You are resisting something. Something is getting in the way of your creative work. Resistance always means something. –Vinita Hampton Wright

 
Big reveal here: there is no such thing as writer’s block. There’s only laziness, fear, and overthinking. You’re just using the wrong part of your mind at that moment. – James Dowd

 
A hammer made of deadlines is the surest tool for crushing writer's block. – Ryan Lilly

 

Never use writer’s block as an excuse. The only way to do it is to do it. When you’re stuck, the only way through it is through it. Just keep going. Put words on the page, worry about them later. Stop overthinking it and write. – James Dowd

 
Writer's block is just another name for fear. – Jacob Nordby

 

A little writer's block can be a good thing. Your inner-literary critic's way of gently letting you know you're really stinking up the joint. You're off track. Lost in the weeds. Need to go back and rethink things. – Quentin R. Bufogle

 

There is indeed one person who can help solve “writer’s block”. His name is Mr Johnnie Walker. – Ashwin Sanghi

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I have found repeatedly hitting my head with a mallet
doesn't help at all, so I am open to suggestions.

Steve Merrick

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I learned to produce whether I wanted to or not. It would be easy to say oh, I have writer’s block, oh, I have to wait for my muse. I don’t. Chain that muse to your desk and get the job done. – Barbara Kingsolver

               

Writer’s block is akin to a “vacancy” sign; if you wait long enough they will eventually fill. – Nanette L. Avery

There is no such thing as writer’s block. There is only procrastination and fear and perfectionism and pure laziness. – Travis Thrasher

The subconscious mind is amazingly efficient – it wants to work your story out – and while I’ve never experienced it myself, my guess is that writer’s block is the result of the conscious mind having gotten too involved in the process. – Alistair Cross

 

Writer's block is just a fancy way of saying “I don't feel like doing any work today.” – Meagan Spooner
 

When you're at odds with yourself, it's hard to create. Sometimes the writing process is as easy as opening up the window and letting in the breeze. And sometimes it's like chiseling away at a block of granite with a pencil. – Anthony Kiedis,

 
Writer’s block is only a failure of the ego. – Norman Mailer

 

Some days constipated thoughts clog the day. – Richard L. Ratliff

 

Breaking through writer's block is like thinking out of the box: Both require an ability to imagine a world outside your four walls or rearranging them to get a better view. – Susan J. McIntire

 
I haven’t had writer’s block. I think it’s because my process involves writing very badly. – Jennifer Egan

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Writer's block comes from the feeling that one is doing
the wrong thing or doing the right thing badly.

John Gardner

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I don't believe in writer's block. Writer's block is when you're running down an ally and all of a sudden you're trapped by a brick wall. You can't go under, over, or through it. You're stuck. But the problem isn't that you can't pass the brick wall. You see, the problem is that you went down the wrong ally. –  Barry Lyga

 

Writing isn't difficult. Writing well is difficult. What is most difficult is being with the interior experience that manifests as resistance to writing. – H. Raven Rose

 

Professional writers don't have muses; they have mortgages. – Larry Kahaner

No one ever says ‘Wow I just can’t talk today!’ (unless you’ve lost your voice or your vocal chords have been removed) so, you CAN ALWAYS talk — which means you can ALWAYS write! – Joel Saltzman

 
Sometimes writing is hard. You know what’s not hard? Watching Netflix. That’s easy. – Beth Revis

 

Writer’s block, how to overcome it: write something substantial every morning, and while doing so forget entirely the impression you’re creating. That is, overcome ego. – Paul Fussell

 

Writer’s block simply means the structure for an idea is broken. If you give ideas a robust structure, then writer’s block vanishes forever. – Thomas Clifford 

 

Writer’s block? I’ve heard of this. This is when a writer cannot write, yes? Then that person isn’t a writer anymore. I’m sorry, but the job is getting up in the fucking morning and writing for a living. – Warren Ellis

 

When you hit a wall, when you’re feeling blocked, step away from the computer. Take a run. Rub the dog’s belly. Read 50 pages of a novel. Watch a stupid situation comedy. Let your brain relax. Let it reboot. No one ever got anywhere by banging on the backspace key for hours on end. – Frank Bruni

 

Prescription for writer’s block: Fear of Poverty. – Peter Mayle

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For more on this subject, check out:

👉Aaron Sorkin on Writer’s Block

👉A Proven Way to Beat Writer's Block

👉Copywriter Writer's Block* - a piece I wrote for “Change My Mind”
(currently available at no charge).

*This eBook, described as “an opinionated book on how narratives and content shape the way we see things” also includes work from GeorgeTannenbaum, NickPrinsloo, EsmeraldaAvellaneda, DustinDooling, SantanuSengupta, WadeSkalsky, MarDomínguez Seda, GenaGephart, and RobMaiale.