On Writing Dumb: Why I Wrote a Book So Dumb
Every single time someone asks me what I do for a living, I get uncomfortable.
Not because I’m not proud of what I do (I am), but because I’m a bit introverted and already uncomfortable talking to this new person, and because what I do is not as common as I thought, and therefore hard to explain simply.
That’s because I work in marketing & advertising, but mostly in brand development and campaigns, but more specifically in content and ideas, but even more precisely in writing, storytelling, and branded video. It’s quite confusing if you don’t live the life, I realize. In fact, my own mother has no idea what I do, and I’ve stopped trying to explain it to her.
So, when someone asks me what I do for work, instead of “Creative Director” or “Director of Story” (‘cause what does that even mean?!?!), I just say “Writer.” And most of the time it goes this one way...
New person interrogating me with impossible questions: “So, what do you do?”
Weird me: “I’m a writer.”
Then they always ask the question I’m hoping they don’t ask…
“So...you, like, write books then?”
👉😀💥
Every time.
So, instead of dealing with it in a professional, responsible, adult way, like thinking up a better response, I just went ahead and wrote a book.
It’s out now.
It’s real dumb.
But seriously, I didn’t really, truly, only write it because I hate having to explain that…”No, I write basically everything else.”
I wrote it because I felt like I always offer the same advice to people about their writing — no matter what they actually do for a living — I thought that maybe it would be a good idea to put all that advice down for other people to use. Especially since writing is such an integral part of pretty much any job.
What really kicked off the idea was when I was a guest on the Steve Walter Photography podcast and was explaining some of my methods for writing. It was then that I realized, “Hey, these methods are not all that bad. Sure, they’re super dumb, but they also really work!” So, I wrote them down for you.
My first book review proved what I aimed to do, with content creator Gabby Warakomski saying, “Wow, this is really dumb advice...but it really works!”
Hanging My Hat on Dumb
As someone who works in branding, I can’t help but package things up nicely for people to better consume. And, since most of my advice was admittedly pretty dumb, Dumb became my brand. And what better way to create an inviting self-help, educational experience than by being the first to admit that I am straight-up dumb. I don’t know everything, and it’s obvious. But, I know some things, and I wanted to share them so others could overcome their fear, anxiety, and self-consciousness to write better.
I was also afraid of sounding pretentious — that I was taking myself too seriously by writing a book on writing — so I made it real dumb in every way possible. I threw in a bunch of dumb jokes. I purposely messed up some of the formatting. I rewrote the legal copy. I tried to never take it or myself too seriously, and it shows, especially with on-cover reviews, like:
“It’s not too late to get a real job.”
- James Dowd’s’ Dad
“This is a beautiful book, I really hope to read it one day.”
- JP Flagg, Cover Designer
“This book is pure genius. James Dowd has entered the pantheon of true literary greats.
It’s a must-read! I laughed, I cried, I took notes.”
- Guy Paid For A Good Review
So that’s it. Now when I’m at an event and someone asks me what I do, it’ll go something like this…
Nosey stranger: “So...you, like, write books then?”
1% less uncomfortable me: “Yes...like book.”
Ok, time to go get dumb. Get your copy! Buy it now. There’s no more article left!