Ten Two-Second Novels
Rumor has it, journalist, sportsman and novelist Ernest Hemingway wrote the world’s shortest novel sometime before 1961. Was it a chapter, a page, or perhaps merely a paragraph in length? To my surprise, when I discovered the micro-tome decades ago, it was half a dozen simple words, four of them single syllables: “For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.” Action, emotion, conflict and drama as compact as one could ever imagine.
Fiction author Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) wrote classic novels such as A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea.
Powerful, idea-seeding words and phrases impact us every day, whether in a traditional book, on a glowing website, upon an expansive billboard, or in a glossy magazine article. Carefully selected and arranged words are precise psychological tools at the core of advertising messages. These attention beacons aim to win our affection for, and dedication to, products and services. The action, emotion and drama in advertising words are intended to generate excitement and benefit in our lives, along with profit for purveyors of products and services.
Beyond the promotion of stuff and others working for us, written and verbal messages are part of a complex shaping mechanism contributing to who someone becomes later in life. This programming is quite powerful since it can shift beliefs from one side of a spectrum to the other in a fairly short period of time. I’ve found it curious over the years to hear someone from across the table expound as to how advertising and media have little effect on them. And yet money spent on advertising in the United States throughout 2020 was $263 billion. That’s well beyond a quarter trillion dollars. If advertising has little influential effect, why would the outlay to marketing and advertising agencies continue to grow each year?
With a 9% increase from 2019 to 2020, and 8% increase from 2018 to 2019, this provides clear evidence a slick slogan or engaging catch phrase revealing a resonating concept can shift the way a person sees their world and acts toward a purchase.
48.33% of the world’s population owns a smartphone (3.8 billion people)
Enter New Media, absorbed through a seeming endless array of message delivery devices such as smartphones, pads, laptops, virtual reality goggles, and those strap-held, oversized Chiclets worn on wrists: smart watches. Electronic devices administer words and phrases quite efficiently since they are frequently in the direct focus of the owner. In many cases, smartphones receive more face time than real human faces! It’s an evolving trend reshaping societies around the world, spurring social scientists to examine and deduce the after effects.
What makes New Media compelling is the manner and speed in which information is absorbed, since content can be delivered as an individual tackle other tasks. Think radio or television as the original baseline for media delivery, while also considering modern sporting events and digital signage. Adding more to the mix, smartphones have become the standard delivery vehicle for messaging of all types, from SMS texts, to imagery and videos, to podcasts, short-form entertainment, gambling and games. However, advertising drives nearly all the fun, with fun attracting attention as ads drive endless messages.
Even with ad blocking software, which numerous websites now sniff and deny, messages are administered via articles masquerading to be hard facts. It’s not uncommon for sponsored articles to appear in news publications and in online feeds, appearing as reporting of factual events. Pay for a full-page advertisement in a publication, then receive space to write an article about the product or service shown in the ad. I’m not saying it’s wrong, merely setting up the premise of this blog: The staying power of words and phrases.
Humans are creatures of story. As story analyst Lisa Cron notes, we are all wired for story, which means our psyches crave great, action-filled stories as we strive to understand the world around us. A well constructed and delivered story premise is golden. Screenwriter John Truby defines premise as “the story (idea) in one sentence.” Premise is the simplest combination of character and plot, the story's grand strategy.
Everything holding meaning is delivered as an engaging story, from weekly television series and daily weather reports to blogs, podcasts, and jingles promoting potato chips. Advertisers understand the psychological power of story premise, and apply it through traditional and New Media every second of the day. So what happens when the power of slogan psychology is applied to sell us wisdom? We get quotations.
With today’s busy lifestyles and little time to read hundreds of novel pages, how could each of us gain a bit of wisdom in-between all the products and service advertisements? How might we be supported to shop and spend more consciously, or act towards others with a bit more dignity and respect? I suggest taking a few moments each day to direct your focus away from streaming media and news feeds to land attention on a quotation from anyone who appeals to your sensibility. A couple of great sources are AZ Quotes (my favorite), and BrainyQuote, which includes a section of picture quotes.
Better yet, when you’re making a meal, waiting for an appointment to show up, or walking down the street and a bit of wisdom enters your mind, take a moment to write it down to begin your own personal quotation list. I’ve been doing this for many years, and would like to share ten of my own quotations, each of which have occasionally reminded me of an inner wisdom recognized at some juncture in life. Following each quotation is a brief background as to why I believe the statement is important.
“People reveal paragraphs of themselves every moment of the day. How good a reader are you?”
Personality runs deeper than how gleeful, serious, or consumed (busy) we appear to be. Our choice of words, details, and speaking time come from deep within to showcase our genuine selves. Even a liar can be heard for who they are when we set aside hopes, projections, preconceived notions, and assumptions of who we think the speaker is. Listen with keen intent to hear past a linguistically painted façade.
“The most deceptive view is from the apex of success.”
It’s tempting to imagine even better days ahead, especially when competitors have been shown your secret in the marketplace. Standing atop a high peak means the forward journey may very well be a descent before a further ascent is possible. While the peak-top 360-degree view and ecstatic ego gratification feel fantastic, beware the strength required to continue on the journey to succeed long-term.
“Failure clarifies the journey. Vision paves the path.”
A logical follow-up to the previous quotation, this reminds us of how beneficial a failure can be when experienced with an open mind toward improving. Failing is a learning moment, as long as the blunder ceases to repeat. From failure, a fresh new approach can fuel a productive sequence of events destined to bring an individual to places they could never have foreseen.
“Recipe for success: Provide something everyone wants.”
Healthy commerce to achieve sustainable wealth comes from being awake to what others seek, then becoming the best supplier of it. No matter the complexity or simplicity of what is provided, the most important component is finding daily personal joy in making something others want. While it sounds simple, humans have a tendency to overcomplicate things in an often self-punishing race to ‘get rich quick.’
“Reinventing oneself is the most excruciating of pleasures.”
In this case, the ideal view is via the rearview mirror, gazing back to a time when one pursued life in awkward ways. Once an individual experiences the outcome of their own reinvention while observing tangible results, a feeling of genuine triumph emerges. Such a feeling can only be attained through action according to one’s own design. Learn through the burn, then rejoice in the joy.
“Assumptions, expectations and projections are emotional land mines.”
The stories we convince ourselves to be true often reveal a missed target when we learn what actually materialized. The emotional toll can be devastating and long-lived to oneself and those on the periphery pulled into the gravitational field of suspicions. Why not devote calm energy toward identifying and understanding facts, while letting all the rumors, what-ifs, and maybes fall by the wayside? Most of them will never materialize anyway.
“It's not about being the richest, the biggest, the most powerful, or undisputed best. It's about being.”
Inner peace with emotional stability originates from a place of who you truly are, not from where you, or others think you should be. Take time to let go of the pigeonholing labels and ridiculous mental medallions others hand out. It takes strength to say ‘No’ to other people’s stories about you. You are the only one writing your life book, so be sure the pen feels comfortable in your hand, and the vellum beneath your wrist is smooth.
“You can learn a lot about a person by the size of their television.”
Ever wonder why those who get out in the world to learn about it in the first person tend to have a small, often old television, or none at all? Conversely, has it been curious to hear bold exclamations about how the world works from those who rarely travel beyond the comforts of their county-bound easy chair? Observe the size of their giant wide screen TV while noting its hundreds of streaming channels.
“Honest words only hurt those unwilling to grow.”
Remaining open to grounded ideas from others is key to becoming a better person. While the ego pushes in one direction, a good friend without malice can be an even better ally as we traverse a daily path forward. Honesty with integrity can divert pain and suffering, especially when accompanied with compassion and shared effort as we give back at an opportune moment. Please, do these things in person, not via text or email.
“Criticism praises one. Lyricism praises both.”
To shut someone down in the moment is a selfish gain of instant gratification for the speaker, while handicapping the perplexed recipient. As a result, success for the recipient is often compromised. Insults offer quick relief to the insecure, a brain chemistry reality science has proven again and again.
To be lyrical is akin to harmonizing poetic, delivering clear truths in a thoughtful, non-harming way. Quotations are such vehicles, offering wisdom through crafted words to create phrases worthy of safekeeping and sharing. The speaker feels as worthy as the recipient as both smile together.
The wonderful thing about quotations is they give back over and over again, taking only a sliver of time away from our routines. Some quotations become good friends, while others remind us of bygone times when perspectives were different. Change is a challenge for everyone, and with quotations we have the power to modify ourselves a little bit a time, during a time when change is an essential ingredient for a better world.
Just as a sculptor creates a masterpiece one chip after another, let quotations be the chips, clips, and shavings shaping a bright future for you, those around you, and the entire world.
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