One of the first things you learn as a clown is this: If they laugh once, do it again. And again. And again. And again.

Do it the same way if they are still laughing. Each time you repeat yourself whatever thing you do - whether you’re pulling a funny face while pretending to be a chicken or opening a peanut with a sledgehammer, keep doing it. It will change by repetition.

If they stop laughing? Try a couple more times. Acknowledge that you are no longer funny. The joke is a union joke. It is on strike and no longer working. Move on.

(but keep that joke in your back pocket. It served you well. It deserves a raise, so please pay your jokes more. Try it again. Before you do, wait long enough for them to have forgotten that it stopped being funny but not so long that they’ve forgotten how funny it was initially)

That’s how bits emerge and grow.

Things that work get repeated.

When it comes to writing headlines, and trying to grow readership, there are some things that bring people in every time.

I’ve noticed it happening here.

It will likely work again because of how I wrote the titles to this one. Offer a simple how to. Ask a question. It’s straightforward and works.

But I had a title I wanted to use: What’s in a name, would a blog post with any other title be as read?

I like odd, obtuse silly titles that loosely link to the foolish bits of levity that the servers serve to your inbox every morning. But that title? That title wouldn’t have been read. That title was for me, not you.

The Foolsletter is for you.

So, the point of the clown is to get some laughs. When they find a bit that works it gets repeated.

The point of this newsletter? I hope it gets read. If using a certain headline strategy gets more of you guys to read it, be certain, the titles will be a lot like the one above.

And.

(there’s always an ‘And’ with me right?)

In every clown show, there needs to be a bit of gravity. There needs to be a bit of pain. There needs to be a bit of grief at the limited nature of the human condition. Remarkable Fools are aware that our time here is remarkably short.

And that doesn’t get a laugh.

In fact, it does the exact opposite.

And after that?

The laughs are more lovely, more beautiful and more deeply felt.

So.

(Yes. I do say ‘So.’ a lot)

(brackets are becoming a mew habit)

(and every meow and then I drag out the old cat joke from last year. But that joke will not get a raise. That joke is a bad joke. Not necessarily evil, but being unfunny and insistent is about as obnoxious as you can get as a joke. With that in mind, that joke is getting sent to joke jail. I could go on about what might happen in joke jail but you’re creative people, use your imaginations.)

So.

(double so?!! I guess that makes the next statements either so-so or SO so! You decide)

There will be headlines that reach out with questions and offers of advice.

And, From time to time, you’ll find the opposite here - titles that are quite content on their own but would love you to join them.

One final note:

I am going to be announcing a launch date soon.

There will be an online book launch party.

Do you know any people who are remarkable fools but just don’t know it yet?

Let them know what you like and what you don’t like. Tell them what you find interesting and or obtuse.

Invite them to subscribe to the Foolsletter, then they can come to the book launch party too. It will be a remarkably foolish affair.

It’s like the old saying goes:

The more merry go rounds, the merrier go rounder. merry-ish-ness. sorta.

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