Copywriter John Fancher recently started a 30-day “send an email every day” autoresponder series, which I subscribed to. It rocks. He weaves inspirations about music, poetry and songwriting into a series of tutorials for email copywriting.

I am finding myself looking forward to getting the installments every single day.

Here’s the one I just got from John today – I SO agree with this:

30 Days of 99 (#8): The Best Way to Come Up with Ideas

I’m a HUGE Bob Dylan fan.

And whether you’re a fan or not, you have to admit, the guy is a great songwriter. Allmusic.com’s bio of Bob starts like this…

“Bob Dylan’s influence on popular music is incalculable.”

And most of that influence is due to his songwriting, or course. But did you realize that right up until his first album (mostly covers with only two originals), Dylan doubted whether songwriting was “his thing”?

Right up until he started, perhaps the greatest songwriter of the rock and roll era, doubted that he could write. Then he heard a song (“Pirate Jenny”, I believe) that made him believe he could do it. It was his tipping point.

So, he started.

And the productivity that followed over the next 7 years or so might be the most voluminous outpouring of genius that the rock world has witnessed. He put out so much great material that what he LEFT OFF his albums could have been collected into 5 or 6 more fine records.

What does this have to do with ARs?: Well, one thing I’ve discovered during this 30 day challenge is that the ideas will come AFTER you commit. After you GET STARTED.

Dylan didn’t have 1001 ideas for songs stored up waiting to be written back in 1961. But once he committed. WOW! Boy did the ideas come! One on top of the other like an avalanche.

Same here. I had a handful of so-so ideas for this series before I started. I wondered whether I’d have enough.

Now? The ideas are just rolling in. And, here’s the kicker: the ideas are BETTER than the ones I had before I started. I probably won’t even use any of those old ones now.

So, if you think you don’t have enough ideas to write a 10- or 12-part follow-up AR series, here’s what I say to you: You’re right. And you WON’T have enough ideas UNTIL YOU COMMIT to writing them.

But once you commit, you’ll have way more than you need.

Word count: 356
Readability Level: 3.4
Suggested Song: “Start Me Up”, Rolling Stones

Rock on,

John Fancher
NoLameCopy.com

About the Author

Perry Marshall has launched two revolutions in sales and marketing. In Pay-Per-Click advertising, he pioneered best practices and wrote the world's best selling book on Google advertising. And he's driven the 80/20 Principle deeper than any other author, creating a new movement in business.

He is referenced across the Internet and by Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, INC and Forbes Magazine.