The Daily Writer

We all know time travel isn’t really possible. Or is it? As appealing as it might seem to hop in a DeLorean and travel thirty years into the future, that’s probably not going to happen anytime soon. However, you can travel into the future in your mind. On this episode, Kent reminds us of the importance of being intentional as you move into the future. ***   Are you looking for a community of enthu...

On this episode, I answer a question sent in by Mark Revisky:  “ What is the balance between work, leisure, and creative endeavors? Many times my creative work is separate from those two areas.” ***   Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our  Daily Writer Community .   Check out our  Daily Writin...

I'm thrilled to bring you this bonus interview with Joe Ricci. We dive into all my geeky questions about story structure and the specifics of writing for the Hallmark channel. ***   Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our  Daily Writer Community .   Check out our  Daily Writing Prompts , wh...

Christmas means many things to many people. Some people look forward to parties and social events. Some people enjoy the lights and holiday displays in stores and homes. Some people love all the holiday entertainment you can enjoy, such as Hallmark movies and music specials. And of course, everybody loves gifts, especially kids. But for people of faith, Christmas is the time of year when we rememb...

It’s tempting to overlook your wins, especially when it seems like everyone else around you is having more success. On today’s episode, you’ll learn why it’s important to celebrate your wins and stop comparing yourself to others. ***   Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our  Daily Writer Commun...

When you hear the term "creative writing," what comes to mind? If you're like most people, you probably think of fiction-based writing like novels, screenplays, and short stories. But did you know that the concept of creative writing also applies to a wide array of nonfiction formats as well?   I'm very excited to have a guest on this episode who is here to help us improve our...

In 2019, I sat in a darkened theater with my son Ben. We were there to watch a movie I had been anticipating for two years:  The Rise of Skywalker . I enjoyed the movie, but let’s be honest: it was a mess. It was clear that the filmmakers of  Rise  were trying to walk back on story points from the previous movie,  The Last Jedi … which had already taken a hard right turn from the story in the prev...

If you spend any time among a group of novelists, you will pretty quickly hear two terms: pantsers and plotters. Pantsers are the ones who prefer to write by the “seat of their pants.” They love to develop a great opening, then discover the story as they write. Pantsers get bored if they know where the whole story is going ahead of time. Plotters are the ones who have to carefully outline the whol...

One of the themes of this podcast is “courage.” I want you to consistently do things that scare you.   Why? Because when you do things that feel intimidating, you accomplish greater things and you increase your capacity to impact others. After all, you can only make a bigger impact when do things that are uncomfortable and you take a risk.   That’s why I’m excited to feature this interview with my...

There are certain qualities we prize in the writing world. One of them is knowledge. It seems like we should know what we are getting ourselves into, right? Who respects a writer who seems to be aloof and doesn’t know what’s going on? Another quality we prize is humility. Surely we don’t want to become one of those writers who has a pretty high opinion of themselves, right? There is some truth in...

One of the most popular episodes of the original Twilight Zone series is “Time Enough at Last.” Burgess Meredith plays Henry Bemis, a bank teller with thick glasses who is obsessed with reading.   One day, during his lunch break, he goes to the bank vault to read. Suddenly, there is a violent explosion, which knocks him out. He later wakes up to find that an atomic bomb has destroyed the world. He...

My guest today is Karen Anderson, and she is imminently qualified to talk about what it means to be successful as an author. She is a Strategic Book Coach and Associate Publisher for Morgan James Publishing (full disclosure: I am a proud literary scout for Morgan James!).     Karen is also a nationally published author, a co-author on numerous books, a self-published author, a ghostwriter, and an...

It can be hard to stay creative when you’re busy. Today, I’m revisiting an episode from 2019 where I answer a question sent in by Brian Mays about prioritizing your creative work: “Priority is a challenge for me. I am creative in my day job, but I'd love to shift what I'm doing as a professional creative to something a bit more niche. It's tough finding time to roll with that and do...

Are you having trouble writing? Do you feel like you can’t regain your focus? Do you feel short-tempered and irritable?   When we feel this way, the first conclusion we jump to is that we have writer’s block or that we’re just not creative. But the problem could be much simpler than that.   Maybe you need the same thing that preschoolers need whenever they get cranky. It’s probably time for a nap....

On this episode, we're going old-school and talking about analog tools for writing. It may seem out of touch to be talking about pens, pencils, and notebooks when we have so many great digital tools... but that's the point. Perhaps those digital tools are sometimes more of a distraction than a help. I've asked Dr. Don Sanders to share his passion and knowledge for analog writing too...

As writers, we are constantly dreaming about what’s next. The next book. The next conference. The next interview. The next connection. The next source of income. The next five years. All you have is today, this moment, right here and now. Don’t keep your head so far in the clouds that you forget to keep your feet planted on the ground. On this episode, you’ll be inspired to be grateful for this pr...

On this brief episode, Kent shares an important update about the next few weeks’ worth of episodes. We will return with new episodes on Monday, January 3rd! ***   Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our  Daily Writer Community .   Check out our  Daily Writing Prompts , which will help you break...

Have you ever held up an hourglass and looked it closely? From a distance, the sand looks as though it was one single element that can snake through the bottleneck between the top and bottom of the hourglass. But upon closer inspection, you can see that it’s just thousands and thousands of tiny grains. On this episode, you’ll be reminded that every day is a precious commodity that you can use to a...

Have you ever noticed that some people have an opinion about literally everything? It’s not hard to find these people. They are all over social media, and probably within your workplace, social circle, or even your family. While it’s easy to point out how others are opinionated, it’s important to look at ourselves as well. How about you? Do you have an opinion about everything? On this episode, Ke...

Have you ever felt stuck by writer’s block? If so, you’re in good company. That’s exactly the state the members of the legendary rock group Guns N’ Roses found themselves in one day in 1987. They were recording songs for their album Appetite for Destruction and had been working on their song “Sweet Child O’ Mine.”  As he was listening to a loop of the demo, lead singer Axl Rose began singing “Wher...

One of the perennial questions writers ask is, “Where do you get good ideas?” It’s a fair question because all of us have struggled with finding good ones for our writing. The overriding feeling we have is that we need to do something more, or add some technique, in order to find great ideas. It’s not a matter of doing something more, it’s actually a matter of doing something less. On this episode...

In the fiction-writing community, there are two terms thrown around quite a bit: plotters and pantsers. Plotters are writers who know the whole plot of the story before they start writing. Pantsers are those who write “by the seat of their pants” and prefer to start with a situation, then discover the plot as they write. On this episode, you’ll be reminded that part of the adventure of writing com...

You’ve heard the saying “curiosity killed the cat.” The phrase has been around in some form or another for hundreds of years and is meant to be a warning to those who would investigate a matter too closely. Perhaps we take it a little too far. When have you ever heard of someone actually being damaged by being curious? There has been far more damage done to writers and artists by a lack of curiosi...

Everything in life is a choice. It’s up to you. It’s all your choice. We live in a beautiful time where anything is possible. Writers a hundred years ago would have done anything to get the opportunities we have. There are many ways to build a platform or business as an author. But if there is one thing you must do, it is taking action instead of feeling paralyzed by all the choices. On this episo...

In the law-enforcement community, a person of interest is a phrase used to describe someone who may be involved in an ongoing investigation or connected with a crime, but they haven’t been formally accused of a crime. This person has created buzz and interest because of their actions. On this episode, you’ll learn how you can become a person of interest. *** Are you looking for a community of enth...