The Daily Writer

We deal with a lot of obstacles as writers, but one of the biggest is rejection. Rejection can come in many forms, but whatever form it takes… it hurts. And let’s be honest, it can hurt pretty badly. Some writers never recover from it. So how can we deal with it? J. K. Rowling offers some great advice. She said, “Resilience and humility. These go hand-in-hand, because rejection and criticism are p...

If you’re of “a certain age,” you probably remember watching Bob Ross on his TV show “The Joy of Painting,” which he hosted on PBS from 1983-1994. If you’re a little younger, you’ve probably discovered him on the internet, where he has developed an even bigger following. Each week on his show, Bob painted a mesmerizing landscape in just half an hour. He was known for his soft-spoken style, his sig...

Courage is a theme that seems a lot of us have been talking about lately. For many people, the last couple of years have been a time when they've had to bolster their courage in the midst of many changes. I can't remember a single two years in my lifetime where so many things have felt uprooted and tenuous in the world as a whole. But with change comes the need for courage. This is as tr...

There are a lot of critical skills we have to develop as writers, but none is more important than creativity. You can be productive, think like a business person, and have great networking skills. But without the ability to see the connections between ideas and be creative on demand, you are dead in the water as a writer and an artist. That's why I'm excited to feature a conversation wit...

How do you respond to successful writers? The ones with bestselling books, large platforms, or lots of influence? When it comes to dealing with them, we commonly have two different responses. Either we dismiss their success as dumb luck, or we ignore them because their success reinforces our own insecurity. If you have ever responded this way, don't feel bad. Every creative person on the plan...

The main theme of this podcast is writing every day. After all, it’s the very title of the show! But sometimes people ask, "Do you mean actually write every day?" And yes, I mean write something every day. But what am I suggesting that you write? Here is my definition: write something that advances your goals as a writer. That can include material for your blog, book, podcast, or some ot...

The #1 problem that stops most people from writing has nothing to do with talent or ability. It has nothing to do with a lack of time or opportunities. But it has EVERYTHING to do with them not believing they are a writer. Success as a writer has very little to do with talent. Instead, it has everything to do with seeing yourself as a writer, then putting in the work on a regular basis. That'...

We have talked many times on this podcast about the need to learn from others. Whether it’s being part of a mastermind, reading books, attending a conference, or something else, it’s vital that we all put ourselves in a learning posture. It is important that you learn from other writers who can share their knowledge. In the same way, you must help other writers be more successful. There are plenty...

Think about some of the most important achievements in human history. These would include such feats as Amelia Earhart flying solo from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbing Mount Everest, Neil Armstrong setting foot on the moon, Magellan setting sail around the world, and many thousands of others who faced their fears and took action anyway. You and I are no diff...

We have it pretty easy in the modern world, right? In many ways, this is the golden age of writing. We have more opportunities than ever before to publish our work and impact other people with our words. Yet at the same time, it's also a challenging time for writers. Why? Because there are so many options for writing and publishing that it's easy to get overwhelmed and paralyzed by all t...

One of the common themes I hear from writers is that everyone wants to write a kid's book. And why not? We all remember the books that impacted us as kids. Or, if you're a parent or grandparent, you have probably spent time reading lots of those short picture books to the little ones. My guest today is here to help us understand the value of writing a kid's book, as well as how to s...

You can make a lot of mistakes as a writer and still be successful. But one of the mistakes that will kill both your enthusiasm AND your success is constantly comparing yourself to others. Granted, it's almost impossible not to do this as a writer. After all, it's human nature to compare ourselves, and social media has made it impossible not to notice other people's success in writi...

What is the difference between an expensive steakhouse and a fast-food burger place? They both use the same ingredients for their main product: beef. Yet the experience can be vastly different. When you have dinner at a great steakhouse, it’s not just about the food. Although it may be wonderful, it’s also the experience that counts. On the other hand, the experience is totally different when you...

Here at the Daily Writer, we talk a lot about the habit of writing regularly. That’s nothing new. Every good writing teacher talks about the importance of a good writing habit. Another habit that is equally important, yet for some reason emphasized much less, is the publishing habit. If you want to impact other people with your words, you must not only write them… you must also publish them. On to...

As a writer, you know you should be reading every day. You know that it’s a vital part of filling your creative well. But with so many great books out there, how do you decide which ones to read? What sort of system should you use to read more? On today’s episode, you’ll learn about how to read more, increase your productivity, and maximize your creativity. *** Are you looking for a community of e...

So… you’ve done it again. You promised yourself you wouldn’t do it, yet here you are, feeling guilty because you’ve given in to the temptation once again. Are we talking about some forbidden sin? No, we’re talking about downloading yet another free PDF that will languish on your hard drive. It’s one more resource you won’t read, but you will still feel guilty because you know it will probably help...

Mike Kim is a business coach and marketing strategist who specializes in personal branding, product launch strategies, and copywriting. His core philosophy of marketing is this: “Marketing isn’t about closing a sale, it’s about opening a relationship.” Mike is one of my favorite communicators. As a writer, speaker, podcaster, and copywriting expert, he has the uncanny ability to cut through the no...

David Hancock is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author, and the founder of Morgan James Publishing. As the founder of Morgan James Publishing, David was selected for Fast Company Magazine’s Fast 50 for his leadership, creative thinking, significant accomplishments, and incredible impact on the industry over the last ten years. I wanted to have David as a guest not only because o...

In the world of computers, WYSIWYG stands for “what you see is what you get.” It refers to an editing system or interface where the content you see onscreen shows exactly how it will look when it’s printed or displayed elsewhere. But WYSIWYG can also refer to the writing life as a whole. What you see is truly what you get. On today’s episode, you’ll be reminded that your perspective radically chan...

Every writer has felt like this at one time or another. You’re chugging along with your content and things are going smoothly. The ideas are flowing. You’re feeling great. Then, it happens. You hit the wall. The creative juices have dried up and you sit there wondering where to go from here. On today’s episode, Kent shares three strategies you can use to get your creative juices flowing again. ***...

Have you ever written something and expected people to immediately love it? Maybe you wrote an article, book, or social media post and felt disappointed that it wasn't a hit. But if you look to other industries such as music and baseball, you will have a hit less than three out of ten times. Every time you step up to the plate, or go into that recording studio, or sit down to write, you’re pu...

One of the tropes that seems to follow creative types around is the myth of the “tortured artist.” The myth goes something like this: creative work is very, very difficult, and it requires the artist to give their blood, sweat, and tears to their creative work. But where does this myth come from? We don’t have time for a long history lesson here, but here is one explanation for why creative types,...

Why do we writers feel like giving up? It often comes down to unrealistic expectations. We get discouraged when the picture we have in our head doesn’t match the reality in front of us. We see the messiness in front of us and assume that the great books we love, or any great works of art for that matter, are perfect by comparison. On today’s episode, you’ll be encouraged that you don’t have to be...

My guest today is Dan Miller, and he’s the author of an amazing book that has impacted so many people, 48 Days to the Work and Life You Love (which was recently released with a new edition). Dan has also written many other books and has been the host of the 48 Days podcast for over ten years without missing a single week. That’s impressive! Over the last five or six years, there has been no one wh...

Lauren V. Davis works with people all over the world to overcome their personal branding discontent and grow their presence so that they can focus on sales, exposure, leadership, and community impact through her marketing consultancy Lauren Davis Creative and her podcast, the Business Event Playbook. Her expert social media advice has been featured in articles by Huffington Post, Readers Digest, a...