The Daily Writer

Each day is a thread you are weaving into an epic tapestry. One day, the threads will run out and your life will be over. When your friends and loved ones reflect on your final tapestry, what will they see? Will they see shadows and a hint of greatness that was never fulfilled? Or will they stand in awe at the bold shapes and bright colors that helped them see they could create a beautiful tapestr...

In his classic book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People , Stephen Covey famously wrote, “Begin with the end in mind.” Come with me on a journey to the end—the end of your life. What will future generations know about your story, your hopes and dreams, your ideas, and what your life meant? What legacy will you leave behind? On this episode, you’ll recognize why it’s vital to know what legacy yo...

On a day-to-day basis, we are consumed with the here and now—what we have to write and publish today or this week. Expand your horizons and think not just about this week, this month, or this year. Go beyond even the next five or ten years. Think a hundred years into the future. On this episode, Kent shares a personal story, which will inspire you to consider how your work will impact future gener...

The writer Matthew Kelly said, “It is important to understand that you are not writing a story or a book, or a sentence or a paragraph. You are writing a body of work. Whatever you are writing today is just one small part of that body of work.” This helps take the pressure off because we can easily get stressed out by feeling like we have to create a perfect article, social media post, email, or b...

A big challenge that we face in our creative work is simply the fact that we work alone much of the time. Even if you work with a team on projects that include editors, graphic designers, beta readers, maybe co-authors or collaborators, or marketing people, you are still spending a large percentage of your time creating alone. If you work from home, you can easily isolate yourself from other peopl...

When I became a college professor in 2004, one of the courses I was assigned was Introduction to the Arts. It was a basic survey course covering visual art, architecture, music, theatre, and film from a Christian philosophical viewpoint. The area I knew the least about was architecture. I had always been fascinated by it, but never studied it in-depth. Over the years, as I have learned more about...

When I became a college professor in 2004, one of the courses I was assigned was Introduction to the Arts. It was a basic survey course covering visual art, architecture, music, theatre, and film from a Christian philosophical viewpoint. The area I knew the least about was architecture. I had always been fascinated by it, but never studied it in-depth. Over the years, as I have learned more about...

We all wish for success… but sometimes we forget that it comes at a price. Take Harper Lee, for example. She published the classic American novel To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960 when she was just 34 years old. Considering that many successful authors don’t get started until their 40s, she was practically a baby by most standards of literary success. On this episode, you’ll learn an important lesson...

Most people don’t like the idea of being put in a box. We want to keep our options open and avoid labels. But if you want to be successful in your writing, you have to put yourself in the box of being a writer. If you want writing to be your main thing, you have to be known primarily as a writer. It’s the best way to build your business, your professional identity, and your momentum. On this episo...

It’s tempting as a writer to think that “everyone” is your audience. But the reality is that your message is not for everyone. It’s a paradox that the more you focus on a very specific type of person, the more people will be able to relate to it. On this episode, Kent shares three ways writing for a specific audience helps you. *** Check out my NEW book:  18 Words to Live By: A Father’s Wisdom on...

Every writer understands this basic truth: it’s easy to let one day run into the next one. Then weeks, months and eventually years pass by and you wonder where the time went. The writing life can have a certain monotony to it that makes it hard to feel like each is unique or special. On this episode, you’ll be reminded that every day is special. *** Check out my NEW book:  18 Words to Live By: A F...

One of the most fascinating characters of Hollywood’s classic film era is Norma Desmond, the lead character of the 1950’s Sunset Boulevard . She is a silent film-era actress who lives in a fantasy world where she makes a triumphant return to her glory days. In the final scene, she has completely lost touch with reality as the police and reporters with cameras fill her house. She can’t see the real...

For literally thousands of years, readers have enjoyed stories in the form of printed books. Like me, you probably have lots of novels, poetry books, or collections of short stories lying around your house or office. One of the most interesting developments in fiction is taking place in the world of audio—specifically, podcasting. Of course, audio drama has been around since the invention of the r...

It has been said that the middle of every project feels like a disaster. You’re far enough away from the starting point that you’ve lost some of the enthusiasm you had at the beginning. But you’re too far away from the end to see the finish line. How do you break through the messy middle and keep going? On this episode, you’ll discover answers that will help you push through and finish your book,...

Are you wondering what to write about? Look no further than your own skills and talents. Another way of saying this is, “What comes easy to you?” What seems obvious? What could you do in your sleep and still be better than 99% of people? On this episode, Kent shares an easy way to determine what you ought to be writing about. *** Check out my NEW book:  18 Words to Live By: A Father’s Wisdom on Wh...

You’ve heard the saying, “The devil is in the details.” This refers to the fact that when things go wrong, many times it is the little things that can derail a project or even a business or relationship. Angels are in the details, too. On this episode, you’ll be inspired by a story about how the Beatles’ Paul McCartney highlighted every song through the details he added. *** Check out my NEW book:...

We writers are a safe bunch. Business tycoons love the art of the deal. Sports figures love the rush of physical conflict. Skydivers love the sight of the ground rushing toward them, sentencing them toward certain doom unless their parachute opens. You may like all of those areas of excitement. But there’s a good chance that when it comes to your writing, you’re playing it safe. On this episode, K...

In your author journey, it is easy to view yourself as the hero. You’ve worked hard on your writing, books, and marketing. You’ve conquered emotional obstacles. You’ve proven to yourself that you can do it. All of those are heroic acts, to be sure, but it may surprise you to learn that in your author story, you are not the hero. You are not the main character. You are not whom the story is about....

Do you have an idea for a book, but don’t know where to start? If so, you’ll love today’s conversation because I’m featuring a guest who has all the answers you need to start writing that book you’ve been dreaming about. I’m excited to introduce you to my friend Morgan Gist MacDonald. She began her career in academia as a sociologist, but soon found the entrepreneurial pull to take her skills as a...

I’m excited today to bring you another conversation in our Mental Health Series for Writers. My good friend M.J. James is a member of our Daily Writer Community, and she’s also a mom and ghostwriter. But she has recently built an amazing podcast and website called Burned Out Business Mom. Even though she is focused on helping moms specifically, she has spent a lot of time thinking and building a p...

Writers tend to think about what a book can do for them, and it can certainly do a lot of things for you. You can grow a business, earn income, build your reputation and credibility, and much more. However, writing is ultimately a SERVICE to other people. If people are going to spend time, money, and energy reading your book or your writing, they need to receive value from it. On this episode, you...

There’s an old saying that goes something like this: “People who are too busy rowing the boat don’t have time to rock it.” The meaning is pretty straightforward: when you are occupied with doing the work, you don’t have much time to criticize others. William Faulkner said something similar On this episode, you’ll be inspired by William Faulkner’s insight about succeeding as a writer. *** Check out...

Remember the 1980’s movie “Field of Dreams” with Kevin Costner? He plays a farmer who is roaming out in his field one day, and he hears a voice. “Build it and he will come.” He has no idea what the voice means until he starts taking action and listening to the subsequent messages the voice gives him. The idea of “build it and they will come” makes for a compelling movie, but it’s not true in the r...

There are many advantages to being an introverted writer. You enjoy being alone, which is a big benefit when trying to get your writing done. You’d mostly rather spend your time with books than people, which can help you dive deeply into literature and learning. You’d rather observe than participate, which can help you approach life like a journalist or researcher. However, the very strengths that...

Welcome to the weekend edition of the Daily Writer. For a while now, I’ve been wanting to do a series of conversations focused around mental health for writers. Everybody knows mental health is important, and we see lots of signs of depression, burnout, frustration, anger, and even increasing rates of suicide in society. Writers are not immune to those forces. In many ways, perhaps we are even mor...