- The Simmonds Signal
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- a blood-soaked lesson
The Simmonds Signal
Alternate education for creators (that school can’t teach you)
Micro-Writer | Micro-Brand | Micro-Business
Blood soaked his shirt as he fell to the floor.
And it was all my fault…
4 hours earlier, I was invited to a party.
My friend had to work at 5am so it was the last thing he wanted to do.
“What’s the worst that could happen?” I said.
“It’s not like you’ll get in a fight.”
I’d regret those words…
You see, my friend had a sexy secret.
One that he was terrified of getting out.
He’d been sleeping with a friend of a friends girlfriend.
Her boyfriend found out. He wanted blood.
They invited me out, knowing I’d invite my friend to join.
They partied with us for hours.
Playing it cool. As if they knew nothing.
Waiting like a snake in the grass for the perfect time to strike.
At the end of the night, my friend stuck his hand out for a handshake.
But was greeted with a sucker punch to the face.
The guy had a lighter in his hand that caught the corner of his right lip.
Knocking him into a chair as blood soaked his shirt.
And split his lip half way up his cheek.
We spent the rest of the night in emergency as my friend got stitched up.
He still has the scar to this day (this was over 10 years ago).
But what the hell does this have to do with you?
Conflict Catches Attention
The mainstream media uses it to print billions of dollars.
The Paul brothers use it to maintain relevance.
And thousands of people each month come together to watch grown men beat the sh*t out of each other in the UFC ring.
This makes conflict your secret marketing weapon.
You can use it to:
❖ Go viral
❖ Become a better storyteller
❖ And become a hit at parties (no pun intended)
You just need to know how to use it..
How to use Conflict in Your Writing:
Conflict works because it pulls on psychological biases:
⇢ Conflict cuts through the noise (stands out)
⇢ Conflict calls out problems (an obstacle is in the way)
⇢ Conflict implies transformation (overcome [x] to get [y])
⇢ Conflict elicits emotion (excitement, empathy, fear, etc..)
⇢ Conflict implies a story (people want to know what happens next)
For there to be conflict you must include:
⇢ An enemy ⇢ An obstacle ⇢ A strong motivation (overcome)
In my ‘fight story’ above the enemy is my friend. The angry boyfriend is the obstacle. And the strong motivation is revenge.
To help you come up with conflict-based story ideas to write about, let’s dive into the 6 types of conflict:
The 3 Primary Types of Conflict:
1 - Conflict with self (internal struggles)
↳ Anxiety, addiction, lack of self belief
↳ I’ve suffered from anxiety since I was 12…
2 - Conflict with others (relationship struggle)
↳ Hero’s vs. villains, biz vs. biz, team vs. team
↳ 99% of life advice on X comes from dumb 20 years…
3 - Conflict with society (idealogical struggle)
↳ Individual vs. government, liberty vs. oppression, old law vs. new law
↳ The president just removed your right to vote.
The 3 Secondary Types of Conflict
4 - Conflict with nature (survival struggle)
↳ Illness, natural disaster, biological limitations (genes)
↳ I wasn’t born with good looks. But I still get compliments on my appearance. My grooming routine to look good (with bad genetics):
5 - Conflict with technology (tech struggles)
↳ AI, transhumanism, automated work force
↳ AI will steal your job. Unless you learn these 6 skills:
6 - Conflict with fate (faith based struggles)
↳ You vs. bad luck, you vs. determinism, you vs. god
↳ Since I was a kid, I’ve been afraid of god.
To come up with great conflict based story ideas, end each day by asking yourself:
“What obstacles did I face today?”
Then add an enemy using the 6 conflict types as reference.
And share your motivation for winning the good fight.
Voila, you’ll never run out of great stories to write about.
But before we end todays slow drip, let’s dive into a lesser known type of conflict.
Comparison…
Conflict through Comparison
Comparison is a content creator’s Swiss army knife.
It’s also a great way to add conflict to your writing.
⇢ Comparison can imply social status
⇢ Comparison makes ideas easy to understand
⇢ Comparison is a persuasive writers wet dream
⇢ Comparison injects emotion by adding conflict
⇢ Comparison increases an ideas perceived value
⇢ Comparison calls out your enemy (tribal bonding mechanism)
⇢ Comparison makes your competitors looks weak (or worse than you/ your offer)
⇢ Comparison plays on the ‘this or that’ cognitive bias (does the thinking for them)
Useful Comparison Examples:
Slow ⇢ fast
Hard ⇢ easy
Past ⇢ future
Worst ⇢ best
Problem ⇢ solution
Bad idea ⇢ better idea
Bad advice ⇢ better advice
Unsuccessful ⇢ successful
Sad thought ⇢ happy thought
Bad product ⇢ better product
Cheap ⇢ expensive (or vice versa)
What people want ⇢ what people need
Specific comparison examples from Dan Koe:
Most people never think of comparison as conflict.
But what would Harry be without Voldemort?
What would Batman be without the Joker?
What would a good idea be without a bad one to go against?
Comparison implies conflict.
Which is why you need to start using it in your content and marketing.
Until next time,
TS
PS. The goodies below are about as good as Gordon Ramsey’s cheesecake
• People are trading their boring side hustles to build Micro-Businesses. Maybe you should too?
• Struggling to write viral, follow-worthy content? Here’s how to get good at creating viral content (fast)
• Getting tired of chasing likes and looking to build a profitable Micro-Business? Join the Microcreators Community
Lastly, do you feel you’ve taken all the courses, know how to write, market, and sell but still aren’t getting the results you’re after?
If so, just book a 60 minute call with me, we’ll go for a video walk, and get you that next big win.