One of the saddest plays ever performed in American theater is “Death of a Salesman.” It was written by Arthur Miller and first performed on Broadway in 1949. “Death of a Salesman” tells the story of the last 24 hours in the life of Willy Loman, a salesman who never quite achieves the success he … Read more
Here is one of the most interesting paradoxes of successful writers: the more books someone writes, the more obvious their core message is. Your core message is the main theme, the golden thread, that dominates most of your content. Some examples: Adventure author Jon Krakauer writes about human drama in life-or-death outdoor situations, such as … Read more
If you spend enough time with fiction authors, you will eventually hear two terms: pantsers and plotters. Pantsers prefer to write by the “seat of their pants.” They develop a great opening and then discover the story as they write. Pantsers get bored if they know where the whole story is going ahead of time. … Read more
If you had to pin down one universal emotion that all humans experience, it’s pain. To be human means to suffer. We suffer on a daily basis as we deal with the disappointments and frustrations of everyday life. But we also suffer when we go through the occasional major trauma, such as the death of a … Read more
There is a lot of talk in the writing community about finding your voice. But hardly anyone ever talks about what it means or how to do it. In the simplest terms, your voice is how you talk. It is how you express yourself. It’s your style. On the smallest scale, it even comes down … Read more
Years ago, author and teacher Parker Palmer wrote a profound little book called Let Your Life Speak. In the book, he writes, “Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am.” What does it mean to listen to your life? … Read more
One of the biggest joys of my professional life is seeing first-time authors launch their books. It’s even more fun when they are friends whom I’ve known for a long time! That’s certainly the case with today’s guest. I’m excited to share this conversation with Kelly Brinkmann, author of Art for the Soul: Growing Your … Read more
In a world where we value equality, we usually talk about power as if it’s a bad thing. But power is like time, money, or any other resource. It can be used for good or for bad. Writers don’t think about what we do in terms of power. We use words like creativity, craft, platform, … Read more
No matter what or why you write, there is a common element that ties all writers together. We are all on a journey of discovery. We don’t just write to express what we think. We write in order to discover what we think. For many writers, it goes even deeper than that. It’s an itch … Read more
Today, I want to share a quick story about my dad. I hope it gives you some inspiration to keep going. My father, Don Sanders, is a Vietnam veteran. For years, we have talked about putting together a book about his experiences in Vietnam. Last year, we decided this was a great time to get … Read more