When you’re in high school or college, your main academic goal is to have a GPA (grade point average) of 4.0. That’s a great strategy for getting good grades. However, the skills that help you become a 4.0 student in school actually work against you in life. Here are three reasons why. First, 4.0 students … Read more
Everywhere you look, it probably feels like you have a competitor. It might be authors on social media, in bookstores, a writing group, or even in your own family. The truth is that you’re not competing with other authors. You’re not in a race with them. There is no finish line, no referee, no prize … Read more
If you ever run a race, you’ll notice there are two kinds of runners: those who are competing against everyone else, and those who are competing against themselves. The ones who are competing against everyone else take running very seriously. They like to set records and get the glory of being known as a winner. … Read more
For a while now, I’ve been wanting to do a series of conversations focused around mental health for writers. Everybody knows mental health is important, and we see lots of signs of depression, burnout, frustration, anger, and even increasing rates of suicide in society. Writers are not immune to those forces. In many ways, perhaps … Read more
Writing is a serious business, but that doesn’t mean you always have to be serious. A great way to write more, and have more fun doing it, is to make a game of it. This can work in a lot of different ways. One of my favorites is to see how much I can write … Read more
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 … Read more
If you ever run a race, you’ll notice there are two kinds of runners: those who are competing against everyone else, and those who are competing against themselves. The ones who are competing against everyone else take running very seriously. They like to set records and get the glory of being known as a winner. … Read more