Become a Writer Today

Latest episode of Become a Writer Today   In a now famous essay, Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham argued for dividing a working day up into maker and manager time.  Writers and creative professionals can use the former to attend to business and the latter for deep work, like writing or coding.  But what does this look like in practice? Enter John Romero.  Although not a writer, he's the cr...

What does it take for an author to create a seven figure business? A team of writers. A marketing department? Offices around the world?  The answers may surprise you. Elaine Pofeldt is an independent journalist who specialises in small business, entrepreneurship and careers. She is the author of The Million-Dollar, One-Person Business , a look at how entrepreneurs are hitting seven-figure revenue...

Anthony Metivier is the author of more than a dozen best-selling non-fiction books that help people improve their memory and learn new languages. He’s also a popular blogger and a professor. I’ve known Anthony for a few years and his approach to creativity can help writers of all types create better books that readers love. In this podcast episode, Metivier explains:* How to use a memory palace to...

January is one of my favourite times of the year. It's a time for renewal and for reflecting on what worked and didn't work during the previous year. So in this 2018 annual review, I will share with you what worked for me during 2018, what didn't work and what I'm going to focus on during 2019. Hopefully you can use some of my lessons to build authority this year and earn more...

Alexander Niehues (aka Alex Newton) worked as a senior management consultant in the corporate world for 20 years before quitting his career to work at home in Stuttgart and founding K-lytics . In this podcast episode, Newton explains: How to use analytics to sell more books Why he relies on outsourcing and contractors What non-fiction authors can do to earn more money The types of books that sell...

Finding a mentor can help you become more creative and find success with your writing or art. This is a chapter from The Power of Creativity, available now on Audible.thepowerofcreativitybook.com--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/becomeawritertoday/message Support the show If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple . And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter...

James Clear is the New York Times best-selling author of Atomic Habits. He also coaches readers (and even writers) how to succeed in their personal and professional lives by reaping the rewards of smart daily decisions. In this podcast episode, he explains: How to use effective habits to write a book  The value of writing just one page a dayHis process for coming up with book titles like Atomic Ha...

Michael Jordan credits Howard H. White with supporting him throughout his 15-year career and helping him beyond the game of basketball. He's Nike's liaison for athletes such as Michael Jordan and Charles BarkleyWhite is also the author of the popular business book Believe to Achieve. In this interview, he explains:* How he wrote a popular business book * His process for setting big audac...

Meditation is a proven practice that can help writers and creative professionals find better ideas for their work too. After I wake up early, I typically meditate each morning for 10 or twenty minutes before sitting down to write. This practice can help you find better ideas for your fiction and non-fiction too. Just ask meditation coach Marianne McGuire. In this podcast episode, she explains:* Th...

Do you want to self-publish your non-fiction book? What services do you need to pay for when publishing your first book? I think you'll agree with me that there's a lot to self-publishing a book for the first time. These are just three of the questions I faced when I started self-publishing books. In this podcast, I’ll explain how to get your book ready for Amazon... today! Want more? Ch...

Have you ever written a paragraph in your book, rewrote it, written another paragraph, and then went back and rewrote that too? And on and on and on…An hour goes by. You realise you haven't written anything at all. All you’ve done is rewrite the same part of your book. Ugh! For years, I wrote like this. I worked on my stories and ideas, and I spent hours tinkering with my sentences, moving th...

Over the years, I've tested dozens of digital productivity tools for setting goals and managing to-do lists. Although digital tools are useful, paper-based daily planners are becoming more popular. MiGoals is an example of an Australian company that sells these type of daily planners online. Co-founder Adam Jelic and his team created a series of daily planners and journals to help writers, en...

When was the last time you had to deal with criticism? If you’ve worked with an editor, you’ll know how difficult it can be to deal with criticism. Working hard on an article only to get it back covered in red ink or with a request for a major rewrite isn’t a pleasant experience. But here’s the thing:It happens to every writer, and it’s part of the job. Failure and rejection are pit-stops along yo...

No matter what type of writer you are, setting a writing goal will help you succeed with your articles, stories and even books. In this episode, I will explain the different types of writing goals you can set and how you can track your goals. Recently I came across a great quote and a piece of advice by David Brooks who is an American writer who writes with the New York Times and other publication...

Like many people, I spend way too much time thumbing through news feeds and clicking on intriguing Twitter headlines. Over the years, I've investigated various ways of reducing how long I spend staring at my feeds so I can focus more on work or unwinding come five o'clock. Today, I regularly use the app Pocket to save interesting articles I come across during the working day to my phone...

Would you like to get out of the starting blocks faster when your alarm clock sounds? If so, you need a morning ritual or routine you adhere to without question. Beethoven, for example, went for an early morning walk each day with a pocket notebook to capture ideas before composing. He did all right. In The Creative Habit, American choreographer Twyla Tharp explained, "It's Pavlovian: Fo...

Writing is a lonely job. It demands spending extended periods by yourself working on articles, stories or books, often without feedback from others. Look at the work spaces of many famous writers, and you'll find them typing away in basements, coffee shops and rooms at the tops of their houses or backs of their apartments. The American poet Raymond Carver, for example, often wrote on a notepa...

Lots of top writers and creative professionals nap every day. It will help you find more ideas and focus on your writing. In this episode, I explain how to nap effectively and get away with it, based on an interview with Christoper Lindholst CEO of Metronaps.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/becomeawritertoday/message Support the show If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on A...

Malcolm Gladwell is one of the world's top business writers, but did you know he struggled to find success for years? In this episode, I explain how Gladwell made peace with marketing and writing and what you can learn from his approach.--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/becomeawritertoday/message Support the show If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple . And if you...

What's the best grammar checker you can use in 2018?Or are you looking for the best online proofreading software? As a writer who loves tools, I've tested some of the most popular proofreading tools and best grammar checkers for writers, bloggers and authors. In this post, I'll explain what's the best proofreading software and grammar checker software in 2018 and what you need...

Albert Einstein knew how to work hard, and he also knew when to take time off. He once said, "I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious."Einstein's curiosity drove him as a child, adult and older man to pursue scientific ideas and projects that are still applicable today, such as his famous Theory of Relativity. His life and approach to work, as detailed by Walter Is...

Author. Printer. Politician. Scientist. Postmaster. Founding father. As one of the leading thinkers and public figures of the eighteenth century, Benjamin Franklin knew a thing or two about getting things done—and playing the whistle (more on that later).He demonstrated a tremendous stability to balance competing projects, interests and jobs. So how did he accomplish so much during his lifetime, a...

Where are you going next?”I was sick of this question. I was nearly two months into a summer backpackingtrip around Brazil, and I’d begun to loathe the backpackersaround me. They kept asking me questions – not becausethey cared about my answer, but so they could prove theirexperiences were more valid – and I was tired of it. I guess I was jealous....In this episode I narrate an extract from The Po...

This is a follow on episode where I elaborate on my journal writing practice. It's also based on this detailed article I wrote for Better Humans on Medium: https://betterhumans.coach.me/how-to-start-a-journaling-habit-today-99d5f98fe8ccResourceshttps://anchor.fm/becomeawritertoday/episodes/Why-Journal-Writing-Is-Such-a-Valuable-Practice-e16buc--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bec...

Kurt Vonnegut got over his fears about becoming an author. He learnt how to write great books… and how to sell them. He also crafted eight rules for struggling and fearful writers… but they apply to all types of writing, even if you’re crafting the copy for the back of a cereal box. Resources Kurt Vonnegut’s Rules for Writing Support the show If you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple...