The Daily Writer

Once you make the decision to start writing, and you do it on a regular basis (hopefully every day), over time you will build up quite a collection of half-baked ideas and unused pieces of material. It might be blog posts, book chapters, social media posts, podcast material, or in the case of myself, I’m sorry to admit, entire books you have written but never released for one reason or another. I...

We've talked about it many times here on the podcast, but it always bears repeating: one of the most powerful skills you can learn is storytelling. We are wired as humans to tell, and to crave, powerful stories. My guest today is John Bucher. He is a mythologist, writer, and storyteller based out of Hollywood, California. John serves as the Creative Director for the Joseph Campbell Foundation...

If you have ever watched behind-the-scenes documentaries for movies, you have probably heard directors talk about the impulse to keep tweaking a movie. Sometimes they will say, “The studio had to come and take the movie away from me.” What’s this all about? It’s pretty simple, really. When you’re working on a big creative project, whether it’s a book or a movie, you always see what needs to be fix...

A common problem we writers have is how to get started. We have a rough vision of what we want to create, but we’re afraid to take that first step. What if we go in the wrong direction? What if we discover we aren’t really talented? What if someone thinks it’s no good? What if this whole thing was a giant mistake? On today’s episode, Kent shares the best way to conquer a blank page. *** Are you lo...

If you get heavily involved in the writing community, you have to be careful. Why? Because there is a whole sub-industry devoted to writing tools that supposedly help you be more productive and creative. Are many of these helpful? Yes, of course. But it’s important to not get too obsessed with specific writing tools. The only measure you should use to determine whether a tool or app is good is whe...

One of the difficulties of creative work, which includes writing, is that we sometimes have vague ideas about our goals. We haven’t determined ahead of time what it means to win or lose. Therefore, no matter what we do, we never quite know if we have hit the mark. This is a surefire way to get discouraged and confused because we don’t have a clear idea of success. When you lay your head on the pil...

A lot of you who are listening are working on books. I’d like to share a method I’ve been using to write my upcoming Daily Writer book, which will release this coming October. This process is very doable for anyone. I’ve been doing my Daily Writer podcast since November 2020, well over a year now. As you probably know since you listen to this show, I release a short episode each weekday. Here is w...

If you’ve ever seen the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies Dr. Strange or Avengers: Infinity War , you’re familiar with an object called the “time stone.” The time stone is one of six infinity stones that control various aspects of existence. Whoever possesses the time stone can see visions of the future as well as stop time, or even rewind it. It’s all fiction, of course . . . but what if you actua...

If you have followed my journey the last couple of years, you know that I have transitioned into being a full-time ghostwriter, while also leading our Daily Writer Community and helping writers with this podcast and other resources.   Today, I'm thrilled to feature a conversation with my friend and ghostwriting mentor Nick Pavlidis. Nick used to be an attorney, but a few years ago he began to...

There are many ways to market yourself as an author, but, on today's episode, we will explore one of the most effective strategies—being a guest on other people's podcasts. My guest is Kim Stewart. She is a marketing strategist who helps Christian authors meet new readers and market their messages by guesting on podcasts. She’s also the host of the Book Marketing Mania podcast where she...

The most common complaint about writing is that it takes time. There is nothing that keeps people from writing more than the idea that they simply don’t have the time to write. That’s why so many writing resources—including this podcast—focus on helping people be more productive with their writing. On today’s episode, Kent encourages us to take some time to evaluate what is keeping us so busy that...

Have you ever tried taking a cold shower? Apparently, it’s all the rage these days. If you want to spend a couple of hours going down a rabbit hole, hop onto YouTube and watch a few videos where people experiment with taking cold showers and talking about the positive effects, such as helping them wake up fast or having more energy. I can tell you that it does work, even though I don’t take a cold...

There are lots of enemies we have to battle as writers. One of the most ferocious ones is self-editing. Self-editing is the tendency to edit as you go, to clean up and try to perfect your writing while you’re creating it. The big problem with self-editing is that you’re trying to use your right and left brain at the same time. The right brain focuses on creative activities, and the left brain focu...

For most writers, writing feels like work because it requires a lot of brainpower. So why not use tools that help make the work easier? One of the most effective tools is music to help you focus. On today’s episode, Kent shares the three different music platforms he uses to help him focus, be more productive, and boost his creativity. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous w...

We live in an age of urgency where everything must be done right now . But is that really true? Does everything in life have the urgency we ascribe to it? Mark Twain said, “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.” On today’s episode, you’ll be encouraged to prioritize so you can focus your attention on the things that matter. *** Are you looking for a community of enthu...

We’ve talked about the urgency of today many times before on this podcast. Why? Because it’s so easy to lose sight of the present moment when so many things beg for our time and attention. When you’re in the thick of life, when everyone and everything wants your attention, step back for a moment and remember one thing: you’ll only have this day once. On today’s episode, you’ll be reminded that tod...

Have you ever thought about writing fiction? Furthermore, have you ever considered how writing a fiction series might be a great way to expand your story world and gives readers something special? My guest today is Mary A. Felkins. She is an inspirational romance author, blogger, and contributor to writer's blogs and inspirational publications. Her debut novel, Call to Love , is set in Hickor...

One of the best and worst things ever invented was the smartphone. It can be the worst thing because of all the distractions lurking on your phone. The notifications, games, email, and social media beckon to you every second. If smartphones were designed to be addictive, they are doing a great job. Yet, it’s also the best thing because of the convenience. This is especially true when it comes to o...

A few weeks ago, I said “no” to an amazing opportunity to help writers. This was an opportunity to partner with an entrepreneur I greatly respect, a person who has been very influential in my life. He was one of the first people to help me see that I could make a living with writing, and I’ve read his books and listened to his podcasts for years. This opportunity would have let me help more people...

There is a common narrative among successful people that you must be a morning person in order to do anything worthwhile. A pretty good percentage of the world’s most successful people get a very early start to their day, sometimes as early as 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. Remember, though, that for every successful writer who is an early bird, there is another one who was a night owl. On today’s episode, you...

Writing is a serious business, but that doesn’t mean you always have to be serious. A great way to write more, and have more fun doing it, is to make a game of it. This is all part of a bigger picture of not taking yourself too seriously to begin with. Life is hard enough already without all the pressure we put on ourselves. So don’t be afraid to try new things and make a game out of your writing....

As writers, we have lots of project-based items to think about. These are big items that can take weeks or months to complete. This can include things like building a website, writing a book, creating a course, building an author platform, or starting a podcast. That is why it’s easy to get paralyzed by all the things you think you should be doing. On today’s episode, you’ll be reminded that it’s...

In the 1980s, a university student named Francesco Cirillo was having trouble staying focused, so he decided he would try focusing for just ten minutes. As part of his experiment, he used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer. “Pomodoro” is the Italian word for “tomato.” Therefore, a simple yet effective new productivity technique was born. If you’re having trouble getting focused and using your time well...

We talk about books quite a bit here on this podcast, because after all, this is a writing podcast! But what happens after you write the book? That's only half the battle, and in a sense, your journey has only just begun. I'm excited to bring you this fun conversation with a good friend of mine who's going to give us lots of great insight into marketing your book, as well as how to...

In our quest to make more time to write, we tend to focus on the big distractions. It’s easy to feel like the world is against you as you deal with events, meetings, chores, and never-ending tasks. Those items can make it difficult to squeeze in writing time, for sure. However, there is a more insidious form of distraction, and those are the little things. On this episode, Kent advises us to be aw...