For those of you who’ve been missing the Sunday Coffee Break, it’s not gone! I’ve decided to switch to a monthly format for those emails, because they tend to be a lot for both of us.
Instead of the every-other-week format I was doing before, now you’ll get a two-part email on a Saturday & Sunday, mid-month. Part I (Saturday) will be a piece of writing to look at; Part II (Sunday) will be the craft breakdown.
I’ll start those up in November when I’m on the other side of this enrollment period for the 2026 cohort of The Craft. Thank you for reaching out to ask me about it!
Reader, I wish you could’ve seen my MySpace page twenty years ago.
It was a freakin’ masterpiece.
The creepy violins from Psycho played while blood splashed against a grainy concrete wall in the background. Ye who dares to enter MySpace shall rue the day!!!!
That was probably the same year I was Carrie for Halloween...
I remember having so much fun with that page. I used to love changing it up with the seasons, showcasing the music I liked, and messing around with my layout.
I didn’t know it at the time, but I was truly *cultivating an experience* for my (ahem) numerous visitors. 😉
It would be so easy here to say something like, “I wasn’t selling anything, and that’s why it was so great…”
But I was selling something.
I was selling an idea, and that idea was: Samantha Pollack is a Very Cool and Edgy Person, with Excellent Taste and A Wicked Sense of Humor.
Of course, that idea never translated into actual, spendable money — that wasn’t the point in those first freewheelin’ years of social media.
The point (for most creatives, anyway) was to fuck around with this weird new toy we suddenly had access to. Which, by the way, is how I recommend you approach the use of AI in your life and work. See what it can do! Don’t be afraid! But also, be afraid!
Anyway.
I was SUPER proud of that Psycho-themed MySpace page. It has a permanent spot in the highlight reel of my favorite things I’ve ever made.
And most of that pride comes from the way I imagined someone would feel when they landed on my profile. I was so excited and delighted for them!
Imagining that momentary thrill of surprise, that quick little chuckle that might bubble up because of something *I* created?? DAMN. That just made my day.
It still does.
I see so many service providers, marketers, creative minds, storytellers, authors, one-time academics, and super interesting people wringing their hands and stressing out about whatever it is they have to write.
They fret. They try too hard. They give up too early. They turn the chore over to AI, hoping for a way out, but even if they end up publishing the result, they know it’s not really what they wanted to say, or how they wanted to say it.
They aren't having any FUN. And it's not their fault.
The marketing world has introduced a false binary into the writing process — either you’re being creative, having fun, telling the truth, and showing empathy, OR YOU’RE SELLING.
It’s made a generation of brilliant, creative business owners believe that they’re not allowed to have fun when they write about their work.
That self-expression and making a sale are mutually exclusive.
And that there’s some “right” combination of words that will compel people to hit the buy button, no matter what. (There isn’t.)
All this pressure turns otherwise eloquent, cool people into stilted, wooden weirdos when they write. And letting go of THAT is one of the first, best things they get to do in the early weeks of The Craft.
Seriously, sometimes I think that half of what I do is give people permission to loosen up, and the other half is just chipping away at all the dumb stuff they’ve internalized over the years that makes them think their writing is “bad.”
So here’s something I don’t think I’ve said about The Craft before…
It’s fun! 😆
Doors open on Friday.
See you then—
P.S. If you're thinking about The Craft but you wanna talk to me 1-1 first, we can make that happen! Just reply to this email and I'll get you set up.
My 6-week copywriting workshop, where you'll learn the craft of excellent copywriting, create words that sell your work without icking you out, and (re)build your confidence in your own writing. Get on the waitlist!
I provide developmental & line edits for emerging authors who need to shore up their word count, patch up plot holes, and elevate their manuscripts. I can also do some light book development coaching, academic editing, and hey, I'm a certified proofreader! Use the link above to find out more & get in touch