The Daily Writer

When you are writing straightforward how-to content, or perhaps writing for clients, it's fairly easy to put your mind in third gear and follow a standard writing formula. But what happens when you are writing about highly emotional or sensitive topics? How can you communicate effectively but also do it in a way that honors you, the subject, and your listeners? My guest today is here to walk...

In the Hero’s Journey storytelling template, we begin with the main character. He or she exists in what is called the “ordinary world.” The ordinary world is Luke Skywalker on Tatooine, Dorothy in Kansas, Frodo in the Shire, Michael Corleone before he gets wrapped up in the family business, and a thousand other examples from movies, literature, and comics. The ordinary world is a place where the h...

Have you ever had this experience? You’re sitting with someone you admire over dinner and mention that you completed a writing project that is important to you. You show them your finished project, they look at it for three seconds, shrug as they acknowledge that it’s cool, then go back to their food. These moments can be crushing, but only if you let them. So often, we look to other people for va...

You probably knew a kid in high school who was supremely gifted. They might have even been voted “most likely to succeed” or “most talented.” Everyone assumed their gifts would carry them on to great success. In most cases, this never happened. They went through life frustrated because the promise of their great talent was never realized. On today’s episode, you’ll be reminded why hard work trumps...

One of the most interesting characters in literature is the unreliable narrator. This character might be delusional, a liar, or is simply prone to exaggeration. Or, they might not have a firm grasp on reality because of their personality or mental state. Each of us has an unreliable narrator in our heads. This is the voice telling you you’re not good enough, you’re not gifted, or nobody will like...

William Goldman was one of the most successful Hollywood screenwriters of all time. He was the creative genius behind scripts for The Princess Bride and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid , among many others. In total, he had nearly three dozen scripts produced, which is remarkable by anyone’s standards. In his funny and insightful book Adventures in the Screen Trade , he famously said, “Nobody kn...

On today's episode, I dive into the topic of perfectionism. This is an area where so many writers struggle. We have this ideal of what we should be writing, or the kind of success we should be having, and then we get stuck because it seems unattainable. Perfectionism is not about the reader you're serving, it's about you. If you're obsessed with perfection to the point where yo...

A few months ago, I left my job as a full-time college professor after doing that work for 17 years. Even though I had a fair amount of discretionary time in that job, and I also worked from home during the summers, it has been a big switch to go from having a college office to now being able to work from anywhere at any time. I've found myself working a lot more in coffee shops the last few...

One of the most pervasive ideas in Western culture is the concept of “finding your dreams.” No one knows for sure where this idea came from. The idea goes something like this: the main purpose of your life, vocationally speaking, is to find your dream. The dream is what you are meant to do. It’s granted by some otherworldly force or power. Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to keep seek...

Do you struggle with being a perfectionist? Perfectionism is the tendency to get paralyzed by the idea that your work is never good enough. Perfectionists imagine there is a standard out there and they can never reach it. They have convinced themselves that they will be an utter failure unless they reach that unreachable standard. Therefore, they never take action and instead live in a perpetual s...

One of the most helpful perspectives we can adopt as writers is understanding that we don’t have an objective view of reality. This is hard to hear because most of us naturally believe we see things as they are. We assume we can see ourselves and everyone else clearly, as they are. We trust that our perceptions about our giftedness and other people’s talent are basically on target. But that’s almo...

There is a common trait among successful writers, and it has nothing to do with skill, talent, genre, or style. Instead, it has everything to do with taking responsibility for your own life choices. Most people are passive observers of their own lives. They accept the choices that life hands to them. They assume what they see other people doing is what they should be doing also. They go along with...

Have you ever sat in a coffee shop and listened to the conversations happening around you? It’s fascinating. 99% of the time, people are only talking about themselves. Almost everyone in every social situation makes a conversation about them. It is rare to hear someone who is listening empathetically to the other person who is speaking. In fact, communication experts have told us for decades that...

There are many keys to your success as a writer and author. Writing a great book is an important part of it, but there are other important things as well. One of those components is book marketing, which can seem like an intimidating and mysterious part of your business as a writer. While there can definitely be a lot of moving parts to marketing, it's important not to lose sight of the bigge...

Platform… it's one of those words that feels mysterious, intimidating, and maybe even confusing to many authors. You've heard that you need a platform and you're willing to do the work, but why do you need one and how do you build it? My friend Chad Allen is here on this episode to join me for a conversation about these questions and more. Chad is a writer, speaker, editor, and writ...

We writers often talk about the reasons we write. But what are the reasons we don’t write? What keeps us from writing? Several things probably come to mind: procrastination, not enough time, and not feeling creative, among others. But at the end of the day, there is one main thing that keeps us from writing. The novelist Erica Jong hit the nail on the head when she said, “I went for years not fini...

If you have ever worked on a deadline, you understand the frustration of writing conditions that are not ideal. This can be a challenge if you think you can only write in certain conditions. The weather has to be just right. It has to be the perfect time of day. You need to have a certain drink or snack. You can only use a certain type of pen. The right kind of music has to be playing. You're...

Here is a question to consider: what activities actually produce writing? This is not a trick question, but a serious one. Why? Because it’s easy for us to fall under the spell of doing writing-related activities while secretly avoiding the hard work of writing. The list of things that help our writing is endless. But they don’t actually constitute writing. On today’s episode, Kent encourages us t...

We writers love to create stories. And why not? There is something fun about creating a fantasy world, living in it for a while, and inviting others to join us there. Sometimes these fantasies bleed over into the real world, where we don’t quite live in reality.  Here is one of the fantasies we love: We sit down to write, and all of a sudden, we feel magically inspired with an endless supply of mo...

For new writers, one of the most surprising elements of the craft is how much editing and revision it takes to produce good work. Until you get into writing as a serious hobby or a career, it may seem like writing should just come out clean and ready to publish. But experienced writers know this is not the case at all. As writers, we spend a lot of time thinking about how to revise and change our...

I've talked about this a few times here on the podcast before. But, just in case you haven't heard, I left my teaching job at St. Louis Christian College this past summer in order to focus full-time on ghostwriting and running my Daily Writer membership community. Now that SLCC has announced it will be merging with another school at the end of this school year, I have been reflecting a l...

I'm excited to be joined on this episode by my friend Mary Valloni, who is here to help us improve our mindset and develop a greater sense of abundance. That's such a critical element of our writing, because, without the proper mindset, we will always be limited by our own perception of what is possible. Mary is a fundraising coach and consultant who helps leaders with great causes raise...

Has this ever happened to you? You block out time on your calendar, you get your pen or pencil—or computer—ready, and you sit down at your desk, ready to write. You’ve been looking forward to this time and can’t wait to get your creative juices flowing. So, you sit there, patiently waiting for the Muse to arrive and deliver the creativity straight to your brain. You’re ready to go, ready to transc...

Let me ask you a simple, but profound question. Do you love to write? We’re not talking about whether you love having written . We’re talking about the actual work of writing. If the answer is “yes”—great! If the answer is “no” or “not so much,” consider the reason why. Is it because writing is hard or unpleasant? Is it because someone long ago said you weren’t a writer? Could it be that inner cri...

Van Halen was one of the greatest rock bands of the 1970s and 80s. Although they had a number of popular songs and albums, they are probably best remembered for their song “Jump,” which was featured on what was arguably their best album, 1984 . The word “jump” is not just a great title for a popular rock song. It’s also great advice as you consider your next step to success in your writing life. O...