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My 6-year-old son has become completely obsessed with playing Super Mario Bros. on our Wii game system. A regrettable side effect is that I hear that music in my head constantly and now see everything in terms of Mario.

For instance, the other day I was negotiating a crowded store and I thought how the correct way to deal with the situation would be to jump on the heads of everyone who was in my way, or perhaps step on a turtle so that it went back into its shell, and then hurl said turtle at the crowd to thin it out. Seems in real life, neither of these approaches works very well.

Now if you’ll just excuse me, I’m about to grab a flashing star so that I can “invincibility” my way through this week’s posts to tell you what happened this week on Copyblogger:

Monday:

How to Get More Clients, Money, and Respect for Your Copywriting Business

So apparently it’s a good idea to stand out and specialize instead of just being “a copywriter” or “a writer” or “that guy who keeps stealing our Xerox machines.” There’s a metaphor in this post that you should check out, but suffice to say that it involves invisible clerks and guys named Steve. Trust me; it makes sense when you read it.

Read the full post here.

Tuesday:

The 4 Words That Will Get Your Email Opened

This post about having empathy with your audience and making them feel as if they’re not totally on their own was really compelling, but I have a complaint. Sean suggests that the phrase “You are not alone” grabs attention, so I tried texting that phrase anonymously to several single female acquaintances late at night. The results were not good.

Read the full post here.

Wednesday:

Cut the Crap and Write Better Now

This post is about the power of editing out the extra crap in your writing to make it better and clearer. That’s all well and good, and everyone should learn how to do it to improve your writing, but I’m confused because the photo that goes with this post shows sheep. What’s that about? Anyway, remove the sheep from your writing and watch it sizzle.

Read the full post here.

Thursday:

Heretics, Superheroes, and Fighting the Lonely War of the Writer

This is a pretty complex and interesting post that really can only be explained by reading. Let’s just say that it somehow melds Sea Monkeys, DNA, desiccation, and other nerdiness into somehow being a remedy to the lonely writer’s life. And also, Jen and I should talk, because we may be the only Copyblogger contributors with backgrounds in biochemistry.

Read the full post here.

Friday:

Why Johnny B. Truant Wears Women’s Underpants

There’s a pretty interesting revelation in this post involving gender and beards, so check it out if you enjoy things that aren’t as they have always appeared to be. This post ran in celebration of some sort of occasion or other on the calendar, but I forget which one it was. Happy April!

Read the full post here.

This week’s cool links:

• Tracking Offline Conversions for Local SEO: So how exactly do you track leads from print, a billboard, or a TV ad in the computer age? Well, read and find out.
• What Don Corleone Could Learn from Guy Kawasaki: I was really hoping that the Godfather quote in this lesson would involve Kawasaki really knowing how to make an offer someone can’t refuse, but alas, it’s not. Read on to find out what these two titans have in common. NOTE: The quote is also not “Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.”
• The One Effective SEO Copywriting Tip You Shouldn’t Ignore: SEO meets effective storytelling? Sign me up!
• 85% of women annoyed by Facebook friends: This post isn’t that businessy, but it made me laugh out loud so I’m including it. Reads like an Onion piece, but for real.

About the Author: Johnny B. Truant specializes in selling through stories and is the proud creator of The Badass Project, a site profiling amazing people who make your excuses look stupid.

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