The Daily Writer

On this podcast, we focus heavily on writing habits because they help immensely in getting our writing done. Good writing habits don’t just involve things like productivity or trying to hit your count. One of the most important writing habits you can ever develop is to make a gratitude list every day. Over the last couple of years, I have been making more of an effort to integrate this habit of “g...

If you were to guess what the most requested image in the National Archives is, what would your guess be? Would it be something related to the moon landings? Maybe something historic, related to WWII or the Civil War? Maybe something from the turn of the century? If so, you’d be wildly off base. The most requested photo in the National Archives was taken on December 21, 1970, in the Oval Office. I...

We have been talking a lot about habits here on the podcast lately. Let’s talk for a moment about a habit that will boost your confidence and will be good for your business, also. It’s simply telling people that you’re a writer. On today’s episode, you’ll discover how taking ownership of your identity as a writer helps your motivation and enhances your marketing strategy. ***     Are you looking f...

Okay, it’s time for some real honest talk between writers. Just you and me, two friends gathered around the podcast, baring our souls together. I’ll be honest: I’m starting to have a real issue with all the writers who whine about writing being so hard. I mean… it is really so hard? When I think about “hard” things in life, sometimes I have trouble putting writing in the same league. On today’s ep...

One of the most difficult things for us to do as writers is get into a state of creative flow. Yet, it's also one of the most important things we can do. Without a state of flow, it is hard to make meaningful progress in our writing. We constantly have to deal with fits and starts, instead of enjoying steady progress. My guest today is the amazing Ken Carfagno. Ken is a successful cleaning bu...

There is a lot of pressure in the writing and publishing worlds to create the “right” words—words that are moving, effective, emotional, and whatever other superlatives we want to put on them. Is it important to impact the reader and make a big difference? Sure. But you don’t get the gold unless you dig for it. On today’s episode, Kent shares how adopting a miner’s mindset and work ethic is the on...

One of the most vital questions we can ask in our writing is, “What can I cut out?” This is a great habit to adopt because cutting makes your writing sharper, crisper, and cleaner. When you write, go back through it and take out all unnecessary adverbs, filler, and padding. Longer does not mean better. Longer usually means the piece is more diluted. On today’s episode, you’ll learn a simple way to...

As a ghostwriter, I live and die by word counts. Page numbers mean very little because pages come in all sizes, and fonts and spacing can be increased or decreased. Word count is the best way to measure your progress and productivity. If you don’t have a daily word count for your current work in progress, may I suggest 250 words? That is very doable for almost anyone. It amounts to about a page pe...

Have you ever seen someone make pottery? It’s actually quite fascinating. It’s fun to watch them at work, and it’s often breathtaking to see the beautiful pots, vases, bowls, and other works of art they create with their bare hands. But what comes before the beautiful, finished product? You guessed it—putting a messy lump of clay on the table and getting their hands dirty. On today’s episode, you’...

Years before he was known as the star of the beloved sitcom Seinfeld , Jerry Seinfeld was a successful stand-up comedian. For comedians of his era in the 1970s and 1980s, the golden key to success was appearing on The Tonight Show , hosted by Johnny Carson. Carson ruled the late-night airwaves for thirty years. He was the most important Kingmaker in American culture. If you were invited to do a 5-...

Writers want lots of things. We want to have successful books. We want to be acknowledged for our creative work. We want to make a difference in people’s lives through our writing. We probably want to make a little money if we can… or even a writing-based business that supports our family. There is another thing that many writers want, especially the introverts who have a limited amount of emotion...

Have you ever avoided doing something that scares you? As writers, we face this every day. After all, writing is scary! Our most important task is to "slay the dragons" that keep us from our writing dreams. My guest today is T.K. Johnson, and she's a fiction author who is here to help us do just that. She is the author of riveting plot twists, fantastical worlds, and spellbinding re...

Yesterday, we looked at ten habits that make writing harder. The list was pretty depressing because most people have most of those habits in their life. It’s not all bad news, though. You can implement better habits into your life that make writing a lot easier. Writing doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It exists alongside other systems and dynamics in your life. Just as with the human body, everything a...

Writing is hard enough already. We are constantly fighting against deadlines, self-confidence issues, the need to market versus being productive, distractions, and so much more. But sometimes we make it even harder by sabotaging our own success. On today’s episode, Kent shares 10 habits we writers often have that make writing harder. ***     Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generou...

Yesterday, we talked about the value of hitting singles. The main idea was this: if you focus on getting small wins every day, you will eventually win the game. Let’s look at this from another perspective. Recently, I was doing a little 90’s musical reminiscing and listening to the Backstreet Boys (Don’t judge me). It dawned on me that I only knew a couple of their songs.  That got me thinking… th...

Today, I want to use an analogy from the world of baseball to help us understand the value of putting in the work every day. One of the greatest reputations you can acquire as a baseball player is that of a home run hitter. Everybody loves the player who can reliably step up to the plate, crack the bat, and send the baseball flying into the stands.  I was curious about how many major league baseba...

Most people, including myself, create a task list each day. We also call this a “to do” list. These are things we must do. And in a world that increasingly demands our attention every second—in a world filled with ever-increasing opportunities and connections—this list seems to get longer all the time. The antidote to all this is to create a “stop doing” list. These are things you are NOT going to...

Although this podcast is called The Daily Writer , the reality is that many people don’t write every day. They may set aside time every couple of days or once a week to work on their writing. I want you to know that this is totally legitimate. You shouldn’t take the concept of the “daily writer” too literally. The main point is to write regularly, whatever that looks like for your schedule. The mo...

Do you have trouble focusing and getting your writing done? It's a common problem almost all writers face. On today's episode, we'll explore how to focus and be more productive with your writing using cutting-edge science. My guest is Dan Clark, CEO of Brain.fm , a company that takes a science-first approach to creating music that sounds different, and affects you differently, than...

In the previous episode, I mentioned the importance of finishing a first draft of your book. But the urgency doesn’t stop there. I’m not saying you should be sloppy or rush through things. You should make your book, or any writing for that matter, as good as it can be. But the fact of the matter is that we all have limited time on this earth. On today’s episode, you’ll learn that one of the best w...

Why don’t people finish goals that are important them? There are probably many answers to that question, but an obvious reason is that they simply get tired and don’t see a lot of discernible progress toward the goal. Take writing a book, for example. If you tend to be a perfectionist, writing a book can take a very long time because you’re trying to both write and edit as you go. On today’s episo...

One of the reasons why we sometimes get stuck in our writing is that we see how much there is left to do. Let’s say you’re writing a 750-word blog post. You would typically write this in sections—an introduction, two or three main points, and a conclusion or call to action. So really, this is a collection of pieces that are somewhere between 100-200 words each. You can have trouble getting motivat...

Whatever you’re working on right now, you’re bound to get stuck at some point. When you stumble upon our old friend, lovingly called “writer’s block,” here are ten tips to keep the words flowing. On today’s episode, you’ll discover 10 ways—plus 2 bonus tips—for how you can overcome writer’s block. ***     Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better ha...

Most people listening to this podcast are located in the United States, so let me focus on that crowd for a second. Part of our culture here in the U.S. is what we call the “Protestant work ethic.” Even though not everyone is religious, or even Protestant, we still abide by this standard today. The Protestant work ethic basically says that we believe the way to a more fulfilled and God-honoring li...

I hope your 2022 is off to a great start. Here it is, the end of January, and we've had a solid month to get some meaningful work done toward our goals. How are things going for you? At this point, a lot of people give up on their goals and say, "Maybe next year." But I want you to know that it's never too late to make significant things happen in your writing, your life, and y...