I first stumbled across Paul Lagasse on his Sotto Voce blog, the entries for which are sometimes written on a typewriter and posted as images.

That led me to his Channel 37 blog, where he posts pulpy serialized science fiction stories. Clearly, this is a man places some value on the writing process.

Paul Lagasse

Welcome to this issue of Working Writers.

Tell Us Who You Are and What You Do (briefly)

My original career goal was to become an historian or archivist, so I earned a BA and MA in history and followed up with an MLS. Naturally, I discovered I didn’t have an academic temperament, so I took a chance on a career in writing. I’ve been a full-time self-employed writer/editor since January 2001.

After hours, I write science fiction for the web serial fiction site Channel 37, which I co-founded with my friend Gary Lester. I’ve written two books: a young-adult historical novel called Seeing Through Clouds and a humorous historical novella called Invasion of the Orb Men. This year, I’ve set a goal of getting my fiction published in at least a couple of recognized outlets.

I’m a Connecticut Yankee by birth and it is my spiritual home, but I grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I ended up in Maryland, where I’ve lived for just over 20 years now. Annapolis is my current home base, and I hope to stay in this city for a long time — unless it’s to move back to New England.

What Hardware & Software Do You Use?

I am a fanatic about using the minimum number of rugged, reliable tools, both digital and analog.

At the home office I use an early 2008 MacBook (256GB HD and 2GB of RAM), which is running OS X 10.7.4 and hating every minute of it. At my desk, I hook it up to an inexpensive ViewSonic external monitor and use the Apple Bluetooth keyboard and Magic Trackpad. In the field I take notes on an iPod Touch plus Bluetooth keyboard. I will probably upgrade to a Windows 8 tablet for field work when they come out.

My word processor of choice is Nisus Writer Pro, but for complex projects where heavy formatting is required prior to layout, I use MS Word. I use iStudio Publisher for print layouts. For graphic design, I rely on three programs: Lemke Software’s GraphicConverter, Omni Group’s OmniGraffle, and BeLight Software’s ArtText.

Along with a handful of small specialty apps for photo formatting, color picking, etc., they do pretty much everything Photoshop can do while collectively costing less and being much easier to use.

Because no writer should ever be without paper and a pen, I also write with a 1943 Parker “51″ vac-fill fountain pen. In the field, I carry a Zebra 301 Portable ballpoint on my keychain and a stack of 3×5 cards in a Brigade Quartermasters Notesaf™ 3×5 Tactical Tablet Holder.

Any Special Copywriting or Workflow Tricks To Share?

My computer workflow relies on a few key apps: Cocoatech’s Path Finder is like the Apple Finder on steroids. It’s a very well-designed file management tool that I’ve tweaked to serve as a basic project management tool as well. Indev’s Mail Tags and Mail Act-on are plugins for Apple’s built-in Mail app that let me manage my e-mail workflow as efficiently as Path Finder lets me manage files.

It’s a carryover from my archives days, but I have established an easy-to-use file management system that lets me purge paper and electronic files and e-mails regularly. A few years ago I formalized the process into a system I called PaperJamming, which I wrote about on my blog.

I came out with the system along with some Hipster PDA templates at the peak of the whole Lifehack movement about five years ago, and its fifteen minutes of fame brought my site far more traffic than anything related to writing.

I’ve also tweaked out a Numbers spreadsheet to track invoice status, expenses, business checking, and taxes. It started as a simple invoice tracker but over the years I kept adding features to it until, now, it serves as my business dashboard.

It took me a few years to develop a paper system that was as efficient as my computer system. My notebooks and files all use the Rollabind ring system, also marketed as Circa by Levenger and Arc by Staples.

It’s a cross between a spiral notebook and a three-ring binder; pages can be pulled out and swapped between notebooks and folders very easily. You can create a notebook for a special purpose (a one-day conference, say, or a long-term project), and then break it down or merge it with other notebooks when you’re done. My whole file system, from cradle to grave, is “on the rings.”

What Pieces of the Puzzle Are You Missing?

I’m on the cusp of some big decisions right now regarding my hardware and software. I definitely need a faster laptop (which doubles at my desk computer when coupled to an external monitor and Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad). It’s about five years old and having a hard time keeping up. Right now I am waiting to see if the refreshed MacBook Pro line is worth holding out for, otherwise I’ll get a refurbished late-model MBP instead.

Until recently Mac OS X was a Swiss Army Knife. Lion introduced a slew of non-optional features that hinder my productivity, and if Mountain Lion continues that trend, then I’m going to have to face a choice there too. So I’m waiting until Mountain Lion and the new MBPs come out before I do anything.

It’s a weirdly unsettled place to be, and I’m unhappy even considering a major hardware and software switch when I’m so busy.

Just The Facts

Name: Paul Lagasse
Company: Active Voice Writing & Editorial Services
Professional website
Writing blog
Channel 37 sci-fi blog

I don’t follow many television shows, but I figured The Pitch was good for a few blog posts.

Turns out I shouldn’t have worried; the show’s doing so badly, they may not even air the episodes they’ve already taped:

According to Nielsen, The Pitch earned a 0.20 in the adult 18-49 category in its debut—fewer than 20% of Mad Men’s audience stayed up to watch AMC’s reality show.

But things got worse.

Once The Pitch moved to its Monday night slot, the ratings tanked. The April 30 episode attracted 45,000 adults according to Nielsen earning a 0.0 and finishing 30th on Nielsen’s cable ratings, besting only a rerun of episode one, which came in 31st. The May 7 episode also earned a 0.0, this time with 59,000 adults tuning in according to Nielsen.

Wow. A 0.0.

Clearly, TV viewers love the advertising industry.

Sadly, those that watched all the episodes really only learned one thing.

Clients typically make the wrong decision about 80% of the time.

Keep watching, Tom Chandler.

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It’s been the reaction.

These days, whenever an organization backs away from social media marketing, the “They just don’t get it” posts from social media gurus pop up like dandelions.

And like my lawn, the results aren’t pretty.

I admit to smiling in a tolerant, parental way when I read “expert” quotes like this:

Diverting money into other online channels may sell cars in the short term, but will fail in the longer term, as consumers spend more and more of their time on social platforms like Facebook.

So getting cars into the hands of customers — who presumably will talk to their friends if the experience is positive — is less desirable than building a low-quality online relationship via paid advertising featuring abysmal clickthrough rates?

Really??

I think somebody needs a hug.

Getting It For Free

Keep in mind GM isn’t abandoning Facebook, it’s simply abandoning paid Facebook advertising. Something you might see with increasing frequency.

For marketers, there are currently two Facebooks: the paid side and the content side.

The free side where you post videos of yourself lip-syncing rap songs in your underwear.

The paid half are the ads that appear while your friends are liking your rap video.

For some organizations, Facebook ads have proven maddeningly unproductive, and clickthrough rates in social media as a whole have been abysmal (though Ford has said they’re happy with their paid Facebook results).

Here’s a Not Very Bold Prediction: the free, engaging side of Facebook is the part that will prove most valuable to organizations over time:

Supplement retailer GNC said its spending on Facebook is likely to stay flat or increase just slightly in the near term. Meanwhile, its investment in content will rise significantly. CMO Jeff Hennion said it’s more cost-effective to drive people there via email, direct mail, or even TV ads that show a link to the Facebook fan page.

Wow. It’s more cost effective to drive a prospect to a Facebook presence via traditional, “you kids get off my lawn” media like direct mail, TV ads or the dead-and-buried-several-times-already email channel?

More spending on content, but less on paid advertising?

Yep. And expect to see more of that.

Why I “Like” Reality

One reason Facebook’s stock had to be propped up by its underwriters on opening day was because its free offerings are apparently more effective for organizations than its paid offerings, which are starting to seem less effective than yesteryear’s marketing channels like email and broadcast.

Add the rapid growth of Facebook’s mobile channel — which has proven difficult to monetize — and you can see the problems.

Before you say it, no, I’m not a knee-jerk anti-Facebook critic.

They may solve their ad effectiveness problems. They may even do it before they make one too many privacy missteps and drive away visitors.

But for now, I believe “experts” should fall in love with their client’s products instead of media channels, and that modern marketing plans should reflect real-world results, not the World As Social Media Marketing Fanboys Would Like It To Be.

(found via the interesting Brain Pickings blog)

UPDATE: After watching this three times, I realize I had no real idea how powerful a storyteller he is. His movies had always moved me, but listen to the rhythms and intonations of his speech. He’s always in story mode…

For a time, you try to emulate them, though the gap is mammoth. Eventually you find our own voice. But you never forget your first.

When I was learning the craft, my copywriting hero was Tom McElligott, a copywriter and creative director who won awards by the truckload, especially after he hit his stride at the Fallon-McElligot agency. The agency so dominated the awards competitions that his retirement became fodder for the next year’s call for entries.

McElligot's agency dominated the awards shows

Under his direction, Fallon McElligott created the famous “Perception/Reality” ad campaign for Rolling Stone, and McElligott was credited with brilliance like the “The Daily Diary Of The American Dream” tagline for the Wall Street Journal. They challenged the creative conventions of the time, and successfully.

In fact, I’m temped to say McElligott was largely responsible for the rise of the famous “Minnesota School” style of hard-hitting print advertising, but that’s a fanboy’s perspective.

But I’ll say it anyway.

Unlike today’s consumer advertising, where visuals dominate and copy is considered an impediment to an ad’s global effectiveness, McElligott’s print ads featured witty, aggressive, sometimes-provocative headlines pinging off equally witty visuals.

A playful fear appeal? Hard to do, but brilliantly executed.

The whole of his campaigns always exceeded the sum of their parts. And the reader was invited along for the ride.

Fallon McElligott also became famous for their aggressive new business campaigns; in one memorable pitch, Fallon McElligot parked a Sherman tank in front the Scott’s (lawn care) headquarters. The banner said they’d do whatever necessary to “protect Scott’s turf.”

The creative new business pitch; risky, but worth it (they won the account)

Given the simultaneous appearance of McElligott and legendary creative shops like Chiat/Day, Wieden & Kennedy, GB&S and others, it’s hard not to suggest the 1980s were the Golden Age of Print Advertising.

(This was before the Internet tried to strangle the big idea and copywriters reduced themselves to sweatshop status by labeling what they did as “content.”)

Another McElligott ad

Right now, marketing is as much in the hands of programmers as creatives, though eventually the pendulum will swing back towards the kind of creative insurgency which sprouted in the 80s, when McElligott, Lee Clow and others headed out into largely unexplored space.

When that happens, copywriters could do a lot worse than use McElligott’s print work — which displayed an uncanny mix of personable humor and head-butting impact — as a starting point.

Keep creating, Tom Chandler.

The famous (and hugely insightful) Rolling Stone "Perception vs. Reality" ads

Literary fun at the New Yorker's "Page Turner" blog

The New Yorker launches its new Page-Turner book blog with a bang — and a slide show of literary cartoons.

Occasionally I come across people who claim to be writers, yet don’t subscribe to The New Yorker. Look folks, Us Weakly isn’t going to get it done.

Keep reading the good stuff, Tom Chandler.

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