MarkFord
apotheosis (noun)
Apotheosis (uh-poth-ee-OH-sis) is the perfect example of something; a glorified ideal. As used by Katie Baker (“The Queen of the French Kitchen”): “If life has such a thing as an apotheosis, it surely involves truffled capon.”
The US military has developed drones that can carry as much as 1,800 pounds of supplies.
“Dead to Me” (Netflix)
This is a series that I would not have tried, but did on the basis of M and M’s recommendation. It’s the story of two women (played by Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini) who come together in grief and develop a touching and often funny relationship. The plot is improbable at times and a little too California-correct for me, but it’s smart and well done.
There must be 10,000 different video genres on YouTube. Here is one I discovered and binged on (a politically incorrect term an online dictionary tells me) last night… professional pianists impersonating ordinary people playing the piano in public areas. This is actually a species of a genus that includes many instruments and singing… a clever way to get yourself heard by thousands and sometimes millions. One trick I gleaned from my binge (sorry!) last night was the use of the verb “stun” – as in “teenager stuns crowd in mall.”
I saw this little ad in a publication recently:
The Most Recommended Path to the Writer’s Life
No matter what path you want to take to the writer’s life, knowing how to write persuasively is at the heart of it. AWAI’s Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting gives you everything you need… from learning the skills to getting great clients… and everything in between.
The Accelerated Program comes with 586 pages of training material, 20 practice exercises (plus free critiques!), tips on how to market yourself, access to our member’s-only job board and so much more!
Do you see what’s wrong here?
Right! It describes a product in terms of its features (586 pages of training material, 20 practice exercises, etc.) instead of benefits. The features/benefits rule is the very first thing you learn as a student of copywriting.
Whoever wrote this copy must have forgotten that. This just goes to show something I’ve noticed about skill development. The mistakes that experts make are rarely sophisticated mistakes. They are usually very basic.
“Good advertising builds sales. Great advertising builds factories.” – Bill Bernbach
insuperable (adjective)
Something that is insuperable (in-SOO-puh-ruh-bul) cannot be surmounted or overcome. As used by J.R.R. Tolkien: “The original ‘Hobbit’ was never intended to have a sequel – Bilbo ‘remained very happy to the end of his days and those were extraordinarily long’: a sentence I find an almost insuperable obstacle to a satisfactory link.”
In 21 states, Wal-Mart is the single largest employer.
Our Last Best Chance: The Pursuit of Peace in a Time of Peril by King Abdullah II of Jordan
From the book jacket: “King Abdullah II was schooled in America and at Sandhurst and heading for a life as a successful career soldier, when his father fell ill and he was unexpectedly named King of Jordan. Fiercely loyal to his country but also possessing an outsider’s perspective on the political difficulties of the region, King Abdullah has since spent every effort to better Jordan – improving its economy, education standards, and rights for women – and find security for his people and their neighbors. In this seminal work by a man at the very heart of the complex Middle East situation, King Abdullah puts forward what may be our best chance yet for Israeli-Palestinian Peace.”
A particularly good one… I love the idea of bringing the dead back to life!