Sad movies are the best, but I rarely ever go teary-eyed watching them.
My girls even complain that I never cry. But it is not true. They just never catch me.
I don’t cry at the typical tragic parts.
I get emotional during mundane scenes of unexpected kindness. Most people just stone-heartedly watch these, but they really get me.
Like in “Sandlot” at the very beginning when the neighborhood baseball star Benny saves the shy protagonist Smalls from embarrassment by giving Smalls a proper ball cap and glove.
Or in Wonder Woman part one when she just abandons the plan to go save a small Belgian village from Nazis (maybe not mundane).
And on this teenie show “Victorious”, where Victoria befriends an weird-outcast girl in the bathroom at school. (surprisingly well written show)
I have 3 teenage girls, so lay off.
None of them want to watch Braveheart (sigh).
But these acts of kindness typically require a high degree of courage and have nothing to do with tragedy.
Whatever it is, they make my tear ducts squirt.
Probably because of the strong overlap with the gospel.
Anyway, if I open my inbox and look at most newsletters, I see the opposite of gripping cinematic kindness:
Another devotional email that uses a clever metaphor, but is missing a personal component.
Insights about something, but show no heart or vulnerability.
Or just blatant asks “Hey, sign up for my event”, with pretty boring 80’s infomercial sales copy: “Are you tired of dealing with a depressed hamster? Well, join my free webinar Happy Hamster Hacks today!”
Well, I would probably sign up for that.
What I am saying, is if I sign up to your newsletter, I kind of want to enter your world and hear the mundane yet meaningful stuff.
I want to feel like I am getting to know you.
If you share yourself in an entertaining way, I would even like to read your email every day.
Even if what you are selling has no relevance to my life.
When I set up an 5-day email course, the emails come in consecutive days.
It can be a little scary going from once-a-month newsletter to daily.
But you will sell more books and stuff that way, and become more likeable to your audience.
So, are you tired of writing boring newsletters? Well, buy my email course services, which will turn your book into a high-converting 5-day email course.
See what I did there.
https://blairjohnlee.substack.com/p/done-for-you-email-course
Blair
P.S. The only sad movie (I can remember) that I watched in the movie theater, where I drained all bodily saline, was “Schindlers List.”
P.P.S The Bible actually would prefer we watch more sad movies than comedies (Ecclesiastes 7:2–4). They have a tendancy to make us wiser.
P.P.S. Contrary to woke police, “The Odessy” is a great movie. And really sad.