Hey, it’s Payton.

When I first released my book, I sent a copy to my cousin, an avid reader. A couple of weeks later, I asked for his thoughts.

“Honestly, I didn’t make it past page 10.”

ouch.

In today’s issue:

• attention vs. consideration

• How to structure stories that honor both

• A simple challenge to get read and remembered.

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VERY GOOD STORYTELLING

It feels good to be back in the Lab. Let’s talk about a storytelling lesson I learned the hard way.

Some of the best books I’ve ever read started slow. I mean struggle-to-stay-awake slow.

And yet I quote them more than any other:

• East of Eden

• Paradise Lost

• Making Sense of God

• A Swim in a Pond in the Rain

• Leadership and Self-Deception

Then there are books I started and never finished. Ones that might have gotten good. I’ll never know.

Why?

Because while most of us have short attention spans, we also have something deeper and more valuable: consideration spans.

Attention spans are cheap. They are the quick scroll, the nod along, the move on, and forget. You see thousands of things that get your attention a day, but forget around 97% of them because they didn’t pique your consideration span.

Consideration span is the sacred space.

It’s the aha! moments when you learn something new and find yourself thinking, “Maybe I’ll give that thing a little more of my time and attention.”

Every medium has a different runway for that moment:

• On Twitter/X, you’ve got one line. Two, max.

• On a podcast, maybe 90 seconds.

• In a book, a few chapters.

And here is the hard truth most won’t tell you: just because they’re still reading doesn’t mean they’re still considering. 

This is why I often downplay “Open Rates” in the email marketing world. If a high percentage of people are opening emails, but very few are actually engaging (i.e., clicking links, replying, or purchasing content), then you’re basically running a storefront for window shoppers.

So what does this mean for Christian writers and creators?

cut the fluff

…or at the very least, move the fluff

Ask, what’s the minimum amount of context my reader needs to care?

I’m not saying you shouldn’t go deep. Go deep. Build worlds. Send long-form emails. There is still a space in the content world for all these things.

But build a path people want to follow.

Here’s how I write for both attention and consideration.

• I assume my reader is smarter than I am.

• I picture someone skimming my words on a cracked iPhone screen at a red light.

• I imagine them halfway through the email with a toddler crying, a dog barking, and Slack pinging like a Vegas slot machine.

And I ask: Why should they keep reading this instead of doing that?

So I cut anything that sounds like filler. I move anything that feels indulgent. And I save the deeper stuff for people who’ve earned it.

Not with money.

With time. Because that’s the currency now.

Very good writing is a stewardship of your reader’s attention AND consideration.

Respect it.

Challenge: Take the next thing you’re about to send, post, or publish, and CUT IT IN HALF. Only add the “must-have” and cut the rest.

Then read it again.

Let me know how it goes.

MY BEST FINDS

Here are Payton’s Picks for the week. If you find something worth sharing with the rest of the Lab, reply to this email!

🧙‍♂️ Story

• One of my favorite essays: Creativity faucet: Increase your creativity (Julian Shapiro)

• 21 resources to bring out the storyteller in you (World Builders)

• Shared by a reader in the Lab, 75 words to make your writing BOOM (Empowered English)

📧 Email

• If you’ve been sending a newsletter for over a year and are not doing THIS, you’re in trouble. (LinkedIn)

👀 ICYMI

• If you’re in media, this is worth a watch (Twitter)

• How busy Christians write more with the THIS method (Christian Story Lab)

🔦 Spotlight

• South by Southwest is one of the largest gatherings of creators, and London recently hosted their own conference. Here’s a collection of tips from creators from that conference (Buffer)

Before you go, here are 3 ways I can help:

1. Very Good Email Playbook: If you’re tired of writing “meh” emails that get ignored, I’ll show you how to write ones people actually want to read. It’s free, and it’s packed with everything I’ve learned the hard way.

2. VeryGoodGhost Agency: I handle every aspect of content creation, from research and writing to editing and optimization, so you get scary good results.

3. Reply to Book a Free Call: Want to chat about your story, email strategy, or how to do this whole thing without losing your soul? Reply to this email, tell me what you’re working on, and I’ll send over a calendar link.

Keep writing what matters,

— Payton