Hi Reader,

I missed last week. Life got busy with workshops and 1-2-1 sessions. Rather than rush something out, I paused.

But I’m back this week with something I’ve been thinking about since a fire-making event last year.

THE FIRE STARTER

I spent one crisp Thursday in November learning to make fire from scratch. Not with a lighter. Not with matches. With flint, steel, and a lot of patience.

I was under the expert guidance of Tiny Mountain’s Simon Withington and Spirited Adventure's James Heir at their base in the Shropshire Hills. Simon brought the coaching, James brought the bushcraft skills. It was fab.

Here’s what surprised me: 90% of the time wasn’t spent striking sparks.

It was spent gathering materials. Arranging them just right. Creating the conditions.

The actual striking? That was the quick part.

But without the work before - the dry tinder, the cotton wool positioned properly, the kindling ready - the spark meant nothing.

Sometimes I’d strike and get sparks, but they wouldn’t catch. (Believe me - I spent ages trying to get some silver birch shavings to light with no luck at all.)

Sometimes they’d catch in the cotton wool, flare bright, then burn out immediately.

And sometimes - when everything was prepared properly - a spark would catch, hold, and build into a real flame.

BEFORE THE FLAME, THERE IS THE WORK

This is true for everything:

Before a presentation lands:

Hours of drafting, editing, rehearsing. Stories gathered, examples tested. Structure refined until it flows naturally.

Before a client says yes:

Months of visibility work. Consistent showing up. Trust built through every email, post, interaction.

Before AI gives you something useful:

Clear thinking about what you actually need. Iterations to refine the prompt (I know this especially well from my CharLatte covers). Judgment to know what’s good enough vs. what needs more work.

The visible moment - the presentation, the ‘yes’, the output - that’s the spark catching.

But without the work before? It’s just a flash that burns out.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

WHAT PEOPLE DON’T SEE

When someone compliments your work, they see the flame.

They don’t see:

• The gathering (research, exploration, failed attempts)
• The arranging (structure, preparation, setup)
• The striking (attempts that didn’t catch)
• The tending (keeping it alive once it starts)

This is the invisible work. The often exhausting work.

And it’s why “overnight success” is a myth.

You see the fire. You don’t see the work that made it possible.

SO WHAT’S YOUR SPARK?

Reader, what are you trying to light?

And more importantly: what’s the work before the flame?

The presentation you’re preparing? The business you’re building? The skill you’re developing? The relationship you’re cultivating?

The spark is exciting. Everyone sees it.

But the work before? That’s where the long-term impact actually happens.

Keep going and good luck!

Charlotte

P.S. If you’re preparing a presentation and want help with the invisible work - the structure, the stories, the confidence - that’s exactly what I do. February bookings open. Hit reply.

NEXT THURSDAY: ISSUE #9 - THE OPEN CIRCUIT

HOW THE COVER WAS CREATED

This week’s cover came directly from the fire-making experience, and it was a bit of a Goldilocks moment.

I wanted to capture that moment of tending - when you’re crouched by a small flame, focused, present, doing the quiet work.

So I took a photo from the Firestarter event as a source for ChatGPT to refer to and decided on a cartoonish comic design.

The first image created wasn’t android enough - arms, yes, but barely-there facial plating.
​

Then when I asked “Make Charl Ex M more android,” suddenly the whole look shifted and Charl Ex M was 100% android.

So I went back to the original and asked for very specific changes:

“I would like the fire in the image to be 10% more electrical. The plating on Charlotte Ex Machina’s face should be 15% more visible. The black jacket should have a light circuitry pattern which subtly glows like the fire.”

And that’s the cover you see today.

The lesson? Sometimes “more” isn’t better. Sometimes it’s “15% more.”

PROMPT TO TRY THIS WEEK: THE 15% RULE

When AI overcorrects or misunderstands, use percentages to stay in control.

What happened to me:

I asked ChatGPT to “make Charl Ex M more android.”

It went from barely-there plating to 100% robot. Too far.

So I tried: “Make the facial plating 15% more visible.”

That worked. Small adjustment. Still her.

Why percentages work:

AI doesn’t deal well with vague statements. Precise percentages give it something quantifiable to work with.

They also keep YOUR judgment in charge.

“Make it better” = AI guesses what you want

“Adjust this element by 15%” = You direct, AI executes

Try it when AI overshoots or undershoots what you’re after.