The Daily Writer

When we are in love with our writing, it’s hard to edit. It’s hard to take constructive criticism. It’s hard to be objective because we are in love with our words. When our words emerge on the screen or from the pen, they are not diamonds. Instead, they are more like coal. Coal is dirty and messy but it is made from carbon, the same element diamonds are made of. With enough time and pressure, carb...

Sometimes we make a false distinction between writing for money and writing for pleasure. Both goals can be valid and important. What ties them together is that you are adding value to the world through your writing. It makes you better and it makes others better, too. On this episode, you’ll be reminded of the ways that your writing adds value to the world. *** Are you looking for a community of...

We all know that perfectionism can be debilitating. It can rob you of the joy of writing and cause you to waste endless amounts of time fidgeting with your material. Just like a rainbow, perfection is an illusion. You can chase a rainbow but you will never find the end of it. In the same way, you can chase perfection but you’ll never reach it. On this episode, Kent shares a powerful solution to co...

On this episode, I'm thrilled to be joined by one of my best friends in the world, Jared Odle. He's a missionary, copywriter, and an all-around fantastic guy. This will be the first of probably lots of conversations we feature here on the podcast on different topics related to writing. Today we discuss the topic: What does it mean to be an A+ writer? How do we determine what excellence i...

As writers, we spend loads of time worrying about the details of writing: getting the words done, editing, publishing, and so many other things. Sometimes it's good to step back, take a look at the big picture, and ask, "What do I really want from this book project?" My guest today is here to help us figure out the answer to that question. Carolyn Roark is a writing coach, editor, a...

Writers are people who create things. We can literally create books, articles, speeches, podcasts, or stories out of thin air. It’s what we do. Why, then, do so many writers look at the world in “glass half empty” sort of way? A writer can be the most creative person in the world when it comes to words, yet be the biggest pessimist you have ever seen. On this episode, you’ll be reminded that you c...

In your writing life, you will find that it’s easy to let go of some things, and much harder to let go of others. One of the items it’s difficult to let go of is books. After all, you’re a writer… why would you get rid of books? It’s hard to hear, but true: you can't make room for new ideas or new blessings in your life if you keep on hanging onto books that no longer serve your vision. On th...

Over the past six days, we have been through a key cycle in the creative life of a writer: preparing, planting, watering, pruning, harvesting, and celebrating. This is the cycle of growth we go through again and again as we pursue higher levels of growth. We live in a workaholic culture that says our value is directly tied to our output. If you want to be valuable, you must constantly produce, rig...

Over the last few days, we have been talking about developing a growth-oriented mindset. After you have prepared by tilling the soil of your mind, planted by keeping track of your ideas, watered your mind by reading, pruned the dead weight from your schedule, and harvested your creativity by getting your writing done, it’s important to celebrate by enjoying your success. For some reason, writers h...

Harvesting as a concept couldn’t be any simpler. You simply go to the field, get the crop, and bring it to the barn for processing. In writing terms, it means you must sit down and produce the words. If there is one universal truth in writing, it is this: the words won’t write themselves. This means you need to set aside time each day to write. It’s that simple, and also that difficult. On this ep...

Ever since I went full-time in my ghostwriting business this past summer, I've had a lot of conversations about how that happened. People have been very interested in the mechanics of my transition from a college professor to a full-time writer. They've asked me questions like: How do you make a full-time living as a ghostwriter? How long did it take you to build up your business? When d...

Today I'm thrilled to dive into a topic that is often ignored among writers, but it's critical to get it right if you want to be successful … and particularly if you want to sell more books. My guest is Terry Whalin, a former literary agent and Acquisitions Editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 books for traditional publishers and several books have sold over 100...

As you continue to grow in your writing skills, your connections, and your influence, you will have more and more opportunities. This is both a good and bad thing. Obviously, opportunities are wonderful! You can write for more outlets or reach more readers with your own writing. With this expanded influence and connection also comes the need the limit your activities to the few things that produce...

As we talked about yesterday, you need to have a system where you can plant or store all the thoughts, information, and ideas you will use as raw material for writing. And while that is an important start, you need to water these tiny seeds so they can grow into something useful. We have a plethora of ways to gain knowledge today, including podcasts, ebooks, audiobooks, videos, courses, and so muc...

If we look at growth as a natural byproduct of good habits we practice on a regular basis, the first habit is preparing the soil of your mind. The second one is planting. We writers deal with thousands of seeds. Those seeds are ideas. They are scraps of stories, articles, books, speeches, or workshops. Ideas come and go by the dozens every day. It’s hard to tell in the moment which ones are worth...

Everyone who has ever planted anything knows that you can’t just throw seeds on the ground. You must prepare the soil. Otherwise, the soil won’t be ready to receive the seeds. The seeds will die and all the effort and future potential will have been wasted. Your creative mind works the same way. It can’t just receive ideas and then cause those ideas to sprout. Your mind must be prepared. On this e...

In her landmark book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success , Dr. Carol Dweck argues that your mindset, far more than your talents or abilities, is responsible for your personal and professional success. To be more specific, she contrasts two approaches to life: a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. Over the next seven episodes/days, we will explore what it means to grow as a writer by using some...

Today I want to explore a topic that a lot of people ask me about. It's also a topic that, when you give it the attention it deserves, will transform your book-writing experience. When I mention the topic "how to build an amazing non-fiction book outline," it may not sound like the most exciting topic. However, if you're writing a non-fiction book, this is a critical topic beca...

It seems like such a simple question, but the answers are more profound than you realize: What is the thinking process a person goes through when they are deciding whether to buy your book? I'm excited to have my friend, Cathy Davis, here on this episode to walk us through some answers. Cathy spent the bulk of her career as a Designer and Creative Director at Bank of America’s Trust Division,...

Think about the last time you went to the eye doctor. You probably thought you were seeing just fine until the exam. It turns out your vision was blurry and you didn’t even know it. Our creativity works the same way. We get busy and distracted. We lose sight of the amazing world around us and forget to maintain a sense of wonder. Our hearts and minds get blurry. On this episode, you’ll discover wh...

We can all agree that being a writer is more complicated than it used to be. Back in the days before the internet was a thing, being a working writer essentially meant that you submitted your articles to magazines and wrote books for publishers. Now, things are more complicated. There is marketing, social media, self-publishing options, speaking engagements, courses, and many other ways you can sp...

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...

You were born with a gift. You can think of it as a beautiful white pearl. This gift, this pearl, is meant to be shared with the world. As a child, you were excited to share your gift with others. But over the years, as you accumulate disappointments, rejection, and hurts, your pearl becomes dark and encrusted. Most people either get used to the lump or they simply throw it away. But a select few...

If we could give our modern age a name, it might be called, “The Age of Hurry.” Commerce and communication can happen instantaneously around the world. And when you look at your task list, you have messages to answer, deadlines to meet, material to write. It all feels like it needs to be done right now . Like everyone else, you have a busy schedule. But trying to go faster won’t help. Instead, you...

Welcome again to my monthly business update. As usual, I will focus on three areas: ghostwriting, The Daily Writer, and personal updates. Ghostwriting Here are three important lessons I’m learning: You probably need to raise your prices. Clients are not mainly concerned about your writing ability. Having the right connections makes a huge difference. The Daily Writer Let me highlight a few importa...