Have you noticed there are some authors who can pick up on insecurities and build out the world of your fantasies in text? One of those authors for me, when I was younger, and frankly even now, is Neil Strauss.
Strauss has a way of building intrigue, foreshadowing, and touching on topics we all feel a little bit sheepish about. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I imagine how the male mind reacts to the game, like crack. “I’ve always wanted to be more attractive. I’ve always wanted the girls I like to like me. If only I was sexier. If only that was possible. Oh, this guy can do it?” The world he draws into existence has him, an every-man, achieve the spectacular. It’s the heroes journey, but we can all see ourselves being this hero. This is the seduction that overlies his writing. He wants us to imagine that he is you, as you are.
In a lot of ways, he’s not. In The Game, he mentions that he went to Vassar, and ‘forgets’ to mention he graduated from Columbia in psychology, that he wrote cultural commentary for the Times, and that his family, while dysfunctional, is probably loaded. How else would a writer be able to take months off to learn to meet women, while frequenting expensive pick-up artist classes, hiring vocal coaches, while redoing his wardrobe? In no way is this an indictment of him, it’s clear that he’s long since mastered his craft, and leans into producing great interesting works. This is because he focuses on ’emphasis.’ Who would this story be a compelling treatise for?
Another thing that I think crafts Neil’s excellent writing is his storytelling. There’s a central question that’s interwoven through each of his narratives. The journey Neil posits, is how he reaches his answer. Along the way is a motley crew of individuals, archetypes, doing what they do best.
I think it’s clear that Neil is a marketing genius, and I want to explore persuasion and seduction, in a business context, in greater detail on this blog.
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