Hi Reader

It’s been a few weeks of very “human” events. From the ridiculous to the stressful to the very sad.

A moth in the ear.

A scramble to get my passport renewed when I realised it wasn’t valid for travel to Spain.

And then, very sadly, the deaths of a very dear family friend and my great aunt. So I went to one funeral last week and there’s another on Friday.

September was also Blood Cancer Awareness Month, and I’ve been part of Blood Cancer UK’s Here for This campaign. My story is featured in Best Magazine.

So, there have been a few reminders of how precious and short life is.

All of this has made me think more about what I want to put into the world.

I hate seeing people with unfulfilled potential.

I hate seeing talented, knowledgeable people overlooked because they don't know how to explain what they do, don't feel confident putting themselves forward, or have been so busy doing the work that nobody knows what they've achieved.

And I hate seeing someone with genuine expertise and an important message lose an audience because the way it's communicated doesn't reflect how good they actually are.

I've always felt strongly about this. Surviving cancer sharpened it. The world we're moving into with AI is sharpening it again.

Because when AI can generate content in seconds, I want to hear from real people.

I want to know what you noticed. What happened when you tried something. What went wrong (especially if it was funny). What changed your mind. What you've learned after twenty years doing something. What your customer achieved. What you're excited about.

So I'm trying to build more of that into my own future too.

Netwalk and Talk and workshops - creating relaxed, welcoming and interesting environments where people can make new connections, help each other and refer each other.

Presentations and public speaking - with a commercial focus. If you’re speaking at a networking event, conference or sales presentation, I can help you structure and build a presentation that’s engaging, memorable and designed to help people take action. In a way that’s “you” and aligned with your business.

Messaging and copywriting - not generic or AI slop, but a defined process which uncovers when people need you (situation triggers), why they choose you (differentiation), what it’s like to work with you (process) and the impact of your work (results and ROI).

AI is part of the process. It isn’t the process. It’s always human first.

I'm also becoming more flexible about how I do that:

• 1-2-1 and groups - because there are times when both are useful
• Public and in-house - including training specifically for your team
• In-person and online - you know I love in-person, but if you're not nearby, I don't want geography to be a barrier. And sometimes being able to record an online session is genuinely useful

I don't know exactly what any of this will turn into. That's partly the point.

I can decide what I want to put into the world, take some actions, see what happens and make the next iteration.

Reader, what kind of future do you want to build?

And if part of that future involves being better known for what you do, communicating your expertise more clearly, or getting ready for an important presentation, I might be able to help.

Reply to this email or start the ball rolling here: https://charlottethecopywriter.com/contact-me/​

Best,

Charlotte

How the cover was created​
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I wrote the initial concept on a post-it as it came to me when I was working on something else.

I wanted Charl Ex M (CXM) working at a retro-futuristic “Future Generator” machine - part 3D printer, part loom, because life is interwoven, and part slot machine, because luck and timing are factors in success too.

In the first iteration, the machine was creating a city. But that felt too grand and abstract. I wanted it to create something that represented a future I could actually take steps towards.

The next version looked too much like doll's-house furniture, so we stripped it back again. The table became a prototype/wireframe, caught somewhere between an idea and something real.

Then I faded it by 25% so it didn't compete with CXM.

There aren't any people sitting around it because CXM can't control who turns up. She can create the opportunity. She can't dictate what happens next.

As the covers progress, it’s fun to weave in some world building. There’s a takeaway cup of R-Oil from The Refresh, her favourite cafe.

The screen shows different Future files, ending with FUTURE_25.0 for the 25th CharLatte. The previous versions haven't been deleted or labelled as failures.

They're part of the process.

This is just the next iteration.

Tip for image generation

ChatGPT can jump straight from an idea to generating an image. I often don't want it to.

Instead, I'll put down my initial idea and end with “Let's discuss.”

That gives us a chance to interrogate the concept, develop the visual metaphor and decide what doesn't belong before generating anything.

Then, when we do generate the image, the brief is much tighter and more defined.