The Daily Writer

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...

I’m excited to feature a conversation from this past in the Daily Writer Community. My friend Lynn Smargis is a freelance writer in the area of health and fitness, gluten-free lifestyle, education, science, travel, and educational technology. She is also the host of the Gluten Free Travel Podcast . Every month, we feature two calls in the Daily Writer group from a guest expert, and Lynn was kind e...

When it comes to curiosity, most people don’t cross the streams. They keep their reservoirs of knowledge separate from one another. History, religion, arts, psychology, politics, technology … they keep them in their nice little boxes. The best creative ideas come from blending these areas--from the cross-pollination of interesting ideas. The only way to create new ideas is to cross your streams of...

We live in a world where miraculous things happen every day. Of course, most of these things don’t seem miraculous to us. They seem ordinary. But it all depends on your perspective. On this episode, Kent reminds us that it’s vital to allow yourself to be astonished by the everyday miracles and help others see them too. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help y...

Everyone feels writer’s block sometimes. The next time you aren’t sure what to write about, try combining two things you love. Author Dan Miller writes, “Passion is the intersection of multiple curiosities.” You won’t find your passion by following someone else’s path. Follow your curiosities and blend them in interesting and unique ways. You’ll not only stand out among other writers, you will als...

We’ve all heard it before (and probably said it): “I’m just not feeling inspired today.” There might be a hundred reasons why we don’t feel inspired, but there is one way to correct it that works almost every time. Inspiration is a sensitive, shy fellow. He is not rude and he doesn’t like to show up unannounced. That’s why he must be invited. On this episode, you’ll discover the secret that conjur...

Whatever you think about the origins of the universe, one thing seems certain: the universe started as a kind of blank slate that is now filled with stars, planets, comets, gas, dark matter, and all manner of other debris and material. Think about the effort and creativity that must have gone into the creation of the universe. It’s so mind-boggling that it’s almost impossible for us to wrap our mi...

One of the most important concepts that every writer today must embrace is the idea of a “personal brand business.” But what does it mean to have a personal brand? It comes down to the fact that your brand equals you. What you do and say in your business is a reflection of who you are personally. This is a challenging concept because the lines get blurry at times. If you have a personal brand, as...

Book formatting is one of the last things authors think about when creating their book. However, it's absolutely vital since that's where readers spend all their time. My guest today is here to help us get a handle on this critical area of success for your book. Jody Skinner is a proofreader, book designer, and avid reader. As founder of both Skinner Self-Publishing Services and Smidgen...

In their fantastic little book The Imagineering Way , the Disney Imagineers said, “Every new project at Imagineering starts with the assumption that it will be fun and exciting. We never say we don’t really want to do it this way—we do it the best way we know how. We are our end users because we like the product.” Think about your current writing project. When you sit down to work on it, what do y...

What is the core value of your life? What is the “center”? What sits in the center of the room for you? If it is your writing, then other people’s reactions, your book sales, or other factors will influence whether you feel successful in life or not. If other more important things lie at the center, such as your family or faith or health, then you can live a more balanced life.  On this episode, y...