Viewing: Notes » Voices.
Voices.
(3 minute read.)
Whaaat?
A previous note mentioned part of my content strategy, adding 'I realise this may raise further questions… it's intended to.'
So here's some further exploration…
Almost all content will be AI-generated/assisted, much of it in the style of notable deceased authors and hybrids thereof.
As part of this, a variety of characters (fully developed, with appropriate back stories) have been created as authors—some of whom are deliberately humorous/satirical.
Asked why I'm doing this, my response is one of 'What else should I do? In view of there being so many existing sources of information, a distinctive and high-quality style(s) is almost certainly the best (and perhaps only) chance I have of building an audience.'
Here's the blunt truth… generic business advice is a solved problem. Attention is not.
So 'why I use characters' is that voice perhaps now matters more than content.
There's…
- Almost infinite blogs on strategy.
- Almost infinite newsletters on growth.
- Almost infinite LinkedIn sages explaining EBITDA (and suchlike) to people who don't have revenue.
Another calm, reasonable, well-structured business voice doesn't add anything. It just joins the choir and gets drowned out by the drums.
So my honest logic chain is:
- 1 The market is saturated with competent advice.
- 2 Competence is no longer differentiating.
- 3 Memory is the new moat.
- 4 People remember people, not bullet points.
- 5 Characters are compressed, repeatable memory devices.
- 6 Therefore: characters aren't a gimmick—they're a delivery system.
That's not artsy. That's mechanics.
I'm not doing this because:
- I think I'm too special for normal essays.
- I'm bored and want to cosplay.
- I want attention for its own sake.
I'm doing it because:
- I understand markets.
- I understand positioning.
- And I understand that 'clear but forgettable' is the worst outcome.
A Jack Lomas piece isn't better because it's moody. And a Mrs English note isn't better because it's cosy. They're better because the reader knows where they are within two sentences. That's usability.
The quiet heresy, plainly stated, is that much business writing fails because it's written as if:
- The reader is patient.
- The reader is neutral.
- The reader is grateful.
None of those are true.
The modern reader is:
- Distracted.
- Cynical.
- Already subscribed to twelve other people saying the same thing.
So you either differentiate on voice, or disappear politely.
Characters are simply voice taken seriously.
Slightly weary, I'm mildly amused by the obviousness of all this—explaining something I shouldn't really have to.
Simply: this is how attention works now.
So any time someone asks 'why the characters?', this is my calm, adult answer that isn't defensive, mystical, or needy. No fireworks. No grandstanding. Just 'Look, this is the environment. This is the rational response. I didn't invent the rules.'
And hey!… the real audience for this note isn't everyone. It's for the handful of readers who get it and realise 'Oh. He's not messing about.'
Everything here of course also applies to content for my other (personal/professional development, progressive living) topics of interest. Additionally, the 'projected activity is to become a small publisher' is integral to what I'm doing—differentiating me from 'simply a guy with an over-active imagination and a ChatGPT account'.
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