The Daily Writer

Being a writer takes courage. And lots of it. Why does it take courage? Because when you write, you put your words out there for people to judge and evaluate. You release your ideas into the world.   Sometimes those ideas will not be received too kindly by people. Sometimes they won't be received at all. Being a writer is basically an exercise in courage. I'm excited to feature a convers...

On this special bonus episode, Jeffrey Shaw shares his thoughts on “hug marketing” and why it’s such an effective strategy. Jeffrey Shaw is a leading voice for self-employed business owners, and his top-rated podcast, The Self-Employed Life, is heard in 200 countries by 30,000 or so listeners a month. Jeffrey is the author of the bestselling book, LINGO and the much anticipated book, The Self-Empl...

One of the themes of this podcast is "courage." I want you to consistently do things that scare you.   Why? Because when you do things that feel intimidating, you accomplish greater things and you increase your capacity to impact others.   That's why I'm excited to feature this interview with my friend Jeffrey Shaw. He is a leading voice for self-employed business owners, and h...

One of the themes of this podcast is "courage." I want you to consistently do things that scare you.   Why? Because when you do things that feel intimidating, you accomplish greater things and you increase your capacity to impact others.   That's why I'm excited to feature this interview with my friend Jeffrey Shaw. He is a leading voice for self-employed business owners, and h...

What does it take to achieve a dream? This is the question everybody asks whenever they see someone who accomplished something great.  On this episode, you'll learn why dreams come alive when you nourish them with the sweat of hard work. *** 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 Wri...

If you have ever been hiking on a trail in the woods, you have seen the markers that show your distance and keep you headed in the right direction.   The purpose of those signs is to keep you from getting lost and give you guidance along the way. There are similar signs in the writer’s life. These markers indicate our direction, but they’re not always so obvious as trail markers. On this episode,...

How far away is your best work? Ask most writers, and they’ll say it is way off in the distance, perhaps even years or decades. We always perceive that the work we’re doing now is not very good and that our best work is hiding somewhere over the horizon. But what if your best work was much closer than you realize? On this episode, you'll learn why walking is a great tool for unleashing your c...

If you have ever seen a potter at work, you know that a beautiful vase begins as an ugly lump of clay. The potter dumps the clay onto the wheel and slowly begins to shape it the form it is destined to become. This is the way almost all art begins: as a messy, ugly lump of nothingness sitting there until the artist shapes it into something beautiful. On today's episode, you'll learn why i...

For some unexplained reason, the majority of curse words in the English language are four letters long. This is why we sometimes refer to them as four-letter words. Obviously we’re not going to repeat them here. But if we did, there is another four-letter word that can feel like a curse word, especially to writers. It is spelled Y-E-A-R. On today's episode, Kent shares why you must get starte...

We talk a lot about writing habits at the Daily Writer. Why? Because a writing habit ensures that you get the writing done. Without a habit, you will only write when you happen to have time available or the mood strikes you. That's not the way professionals approach their work. You may agree with the importance of a writing habit, but how do you put it into practice? What is the method for ac...

Most of us become interested in writing because we want to impact people's lives with our words. Which is possible! But there are other ways writing can also benefit your life. One of those ways is by making income with your writing. And not just selling books, but by developing multiple streams of income related to your writing.   I've asked my good friend John Stange to come on the sho...

The modern world is both a blessing and a curse for writers.  On the one hand, we have amazing opportunities to write, publish, connect, share, and create. The possibilities are almost limitless. But on the other hand, those limitless possibilities represent so many options that we can get paralyzed. Instead of taking action, we waste months or even years trying to decide what to do. We make zero...

If you watch the behind-the-scenes features for Hollywood movies, you’ve seen it a million times: the actors are in place, the camera crew is ready to go, and all manner of other assistants and technical people are standing at attention. Then the director yells, “Action!” and the scene comes to life. On this episode, you'll learn why you must use this key principle in your writing. *** Are yo...

One of the most inspiring stories from the music world during the last few decades comes from the rock band the Foo Fighters. Dave Grohl was the drummer for the mega-successful band Nirvana. He was already an established musician in his own right.   But when the lead singer of Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, committed suicide in 1994, nobody expected Dave Grohl to form his own band and take on the role of a...

One of the recurring themes you hear on this podcast is the importance of productivity. The reason is simple: it’s easy to have great ideas for writing, but it’s harder to bring those ideas to life.   Hence the importance of talking about the systems and processes for producing the work while managing the everyday pressures of ordinary life. On this episode, you'll learn a great trip from aut...

Creativity has its benefits, but it also has its drawbacks. The same impulse that leads you to explore new ideas is also the one that keeps you from following through on them. It’s been said that the best book ever written is still sitting in a drawer somewhere. The reason is because the author never finished it, or at the very least, never published it. On this episode, you'll learn a simple...

If you heard yesterday's episode, my interview with John Lee Dumas from Entrepreneurs on Fire, then you're familiar with his upcoming book The Common Path to Uncommon Success . John talked about entrepreneurship and gave some details about the book launch. Today I'm thrilled to bring you the flip side of that conversation, which is an interview with John's life and business par...

I'm excited to share this interview with John Lee Dumas, who is the founder and host of the award-winning podcast, Entrepreneurs On Fire. The show has over 2500 episodes, over one million listens a month, and seven-figures of annual revenue. I have been listening to Entrepreneurs on Fire for years, and I've had a number of friends who have been guests on the show. It was a real treat to...

We all know time travel isn’t really possible. Or is it? As appealing as it might seem to hop in a DeLorean and travel thirty years into the future, that’s probably not going to happy anytime soon. However, you can travel into the future in your mind. On this episode, Kent reminds us of the importance of being intentional. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to he...

Writers are like poker players. When we get together, there is an awful lot of bluffing going on. We love to talk about our next book project and how important writing is to us. And we certainly don’t want to be known as the writer who talks a big game but doesn’t produce. On this episode, Kent points you to the one measurement that matters most. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic...

In you want to make a change in your life, positive motivation generally works well.   We love for someone to cheer us on with encouraging words, and we are inspired by a vision of the future where things are better than they are now. But negative motivation can be helpful also.   On this episode, you'll learn why fear can be a great way to motivate yourself. *** Are you looking for a communi...

The greatest superhero movie ever made is 2008’s The Dark Knight . The movie is admired for many reasons, the biggest of which is Heath Ledger’s amazing performance as Batman’s arch-nemesis, the Joker. But one of the most underrated aspects of the film is Aaron Eckhart’s portrayal of Harvey Dent, the Gotham City District Attorney. Before he becomes the villain known as Two-Face, he is known for hi...

As writers, we thrive on creativity. Without the ability to be creative, we are forever stuck with the same thoughts, the same stories, and the same ideas. There are many ways fill your creative well. One of the simplest and most effective things you can do is to stop trying too hard to be consciously creative and let your subconscious work on your behalf. On this episode, you'll learn how to...

The central idea of the Daily Writer podcast is the importance of habits and routines to our writing success. There may be some authors who have great success by producing books in sudden bursts of energy every once in a while. However, the vast majority of working writers have schedules, habits, routines, and rituals for a consistent production schedule. On this episode, you'll learn about t...

As a writer, one of the most valuable skills you can learn is storytelling. Stories are the way we process information and make sense of the world around us.   I’m thrilled to be talking with Doug Phillips, who is the Professor of New Testament and Greek Studies, and the Chair of the Biblical Education Division at St. Louis Christian College , where I am also a Professor. Doug has multiple advance...