Time illuminates the details. Details give way to connections. And connections are the basis of creativity, a cornerstone of copywriting.

“We are not in the business of being original,” said copywriter Bob Bly. “We are in the business of reusing things that work.”

But do you want to? This is the question. Do you want to write about yourself, who you are? Terrifying as it is, will you be a writer who does this? Because then we’re fascinated—we’re in.

when you speak from your personal experience, you open the door for others to understand you and relate to you. It’s why in this book I often use my own life—my family, my experiences, the joys, the sad moments—to frame and explain concepts about copywriting and creativity.

“What you are doing when you are being creative,” said Schwartz, “is trying to connect two separate ideas that logically would not go together up until that moment.” When you are being creative, you’re making new connections. Nothing more.

Creativity boils down to putting old things together in new ways, which is a two-step process: One, get knowledge and experience. Two, make unexpected connections.

“There are your people! There are your headlines!” Blockbusters and magazines use clear, simple language—small words and terse sentences—to appeal to a huge, diverse audience. As a copywriter, you must watch these films and read these publications, even if they don’t inherently interest you.

I get tired and go to “The Well.” It’s a digital folder with hundreds of documents, each containing an idea, a kernel, the very beginnings of an essay. The more I scroll through The Well, the less anxious I feel and the more in control I am. Want to be more in control when you write? I’ve some advice: Become excellent at recording your ideas as

it’s good copywriting practice to consistently write something, anything, for someone, anyone, you love.