How many teapots are you raising?

During my recent trip to Taiwan, I had the delightful opportunity to spend an afternoon with master blogger and tea aficionado Stéphane Erler of the Tea Masters Blog. At one point, the conversation turned to teapots and the process of “curing” the vessel. Repeatedly brewing the same type of leaf in the teapot permeates the porous clay with the flavor of the tea, lending more depth to the amber elixir.

Stéphane warned that many tea enthusiasts become too wrapped up in the teapots and lose sight of the star: the tea itself.

His mentor taught him that curing teapots is very similar to rearing children. It’s a time-intensive process that requires constant attention. When this impatient American pressed him for an average timeline, Stéphane suggested seven to eight months of daily brewing to season a new teapot. If you divide your time between two teapots, the curing period doubles. If you only brew tea sporadically, the process drags on with slow results.

My Aha! Moment

The conversation reminded me of a few other areas in which I’ve allowed myself to get distracted. Specifically, my sales and marketing have fallen behind schedule because I keep running across a new tool, technique, webinar, etc. So I drop my current plans and check out the new approach… until something else catches my eye.

I decided then and there to follow the same advice that we offer clients: Focus on one area and get that in working order before moving on to the next project. (Think of the classic spinning plates routine, where the entertainer starts one plate spinning and then tends to the rest in rapid succession.)

• A few months before this vacation, I resurrected our monthly newsletter with its new look and shorter format. (Sign up for it here.) Next week will mark our fifth consecutive issue.
• At the start of the trip, we launched this blog. Is it in its final branded form? No. Do we have all our cornerstone content in place? No. But we’re working on it.
• Next up: We’re launching our new website, which has been a work in progress for the last nine months.

Each morning, I remind myself of this new, one-track approach as I brew tea in the tiny teapot from Ten Ren in Taichung. The same tea, the same pot. And it tastes heavenly.

Are you multi-tasking your marketing? Torn between updating your website or overhauling your sales letters? Maybe you’re debating between launching a blog or starting a newsletter. Pick one project, and make it happen.

If you need a writing assist, let us know.

The Secret to Writing Success

Let’s be brutally honest here. I don’t feel like writing right now.

It’s my last day of vacation. The sun is shining. Taichung beckons nearby, with exotic sights unseen and culinary delights untasted.

This time tomorrow, I’ll be at the airport, preparing to fly back to the bitterly cold Northeast.

But therein lies the secret of successful writers: They write, whether or not they feel like it.

If you don’t make your writing a priority, something better will always come along – and you won’t write.

Thinking of starting a blog or some personal writing project? Stop thinking and start writing.

Maybe your initial efforts will suck lemons. But maybe, just maybe, you’ll find a nugget of gold that will inspire something amazing.

You’ll never find out unless you break out your pen (or pencil, keyboard, etc.) and write.

Go ahead. Spend the next 15 minutes writing whatever comes to mind, and tell us about it below.

Don’t Scare the Bamboo

Each time I visit Taiwan, I fall more in love with my mother’s country. The island’s natural beauty, the food, the culture – all make me proud of my Taiwanese heritage.

A friend who recently visited Taiwan described it as one of the world’s most under-rated travel destinations.

He has a point. But Taiwan has at least one serious challenge to overcome before tourists flock to its shores.

As a whole, the country does not cater well to English speakers.

I’m not trying to be the ugly American here, but English works pretty well as a universal language.

Which is easier: Trying to teach Taiwanese [insert nationality of choice] how to speak German, French, Spanish, Russian, Farsi, etc., or using English?

Signs of the Times

In the past 11 days, I’ve seen a number of hysterical signs and slogans that reflect the Taiwanese appreciation of the English language – minus editorial oversight.

Some of my favorites:

• “Baby & Kids Swears.” Reading this billboard for a children’s clothing store, I can hear my cousin’s voice clearly in my head. Of course, it’s supposed to read “Baby & Kidswear.” But it gives me a chuckle to think of precocious little tots swearing a blue streak.
• “Lideas.” It looks like a Greek heroine, but it was actually on a sign for a public women’s restroom. Occasionally, you see words with all the right letters, but in a nonsensical order. My aunt, for example, wore a varsity-looking shirt that said “NUISERVITY.”
• “Scared Bamboo.” I knelt down to read a sign in a public botanical display and laughed out loud. I’m guessing this particular plant holds some sort of holy significance. Or maybe some long-ago gardener frightened it and permanently altered the plant’s appearance.

Having studied a number of foreign languages, I admire the Taiwanese for bravely experimenting with English.

Now, it’s time to take the next step and finesse those skills with some editorial direction – something from which we can all benefit, yours truly included.