Have you ever noticed that we tend to downplay our natural skills and elevate other people’s skills? I’m not sure why we do this. Maybe we over-compensate in our desire to stay humble. In the process, we undermine the value of the gift we bring to the world naturally. What comes naturally to you as … Read more
This week, we’ve been talking about ways to be a more productive writer. Here’s a question to consider: Why don’t people finish goals that are important to them? There are probably many answers to that question, but one obvious reason is that they simply get tired and don’t see a lot of progress toward the … Read more
We’ve been working our way through a series on Making Money as a Writer. Today, we’re talking about two of the most underrated and not-so-obvious ways to make money with your writing: editing and publishing services. These are related but not the same thing. Let’s begin with editing first. The essence of editing is that … Read more
Today we’re going to begin a series on Making Money as a Writer. Let me begin with a quick story. I worked as a college professor for 17 years. During all these years, the faculty at our school were all contracted on an annual basis. We never knew from year to year if we were … Read more
Have you ever dreamed of sitting down with an editor at one of the big New York publishing houses and asking them all your questions about the publishing process? If so, you’re in luck, because that’s exactly what I did on today’s episode. I’m excited to bring you this conversation with Noah Schwartzberg, Senior Editor … Read more
Here is why writing feels so hard to many people: because their expectation doesn’t match the reality of how good writing is actually created. Many people have an ideal of sitting down at a computer and just letting the words flow out perfectly. The heavens open up, birds sing outside, and a ray of light … Read more
We’re doing a short series on perspectives that go against conventional wisdom. If you’re just now joining us, I encourage you to go back and catch the last few entries in this series. Let me ask you an honest question. Do you love the work of being a writer? Here’s what I mean. Do you … Read more
One of the reasons that writing feels so hard to many people is because their expectation doesn’t match the reality of how a clean draft actually gets written. Many people have an ideal of sitting down at a computer and just letting the words flow out perfectly. The heavens open up, birds sing outside, and … Read more
We’ve all heard the stories about people who take years to write a book. In some cases, that’s necessary, especially if the author is writing a very large book or one that requires a lot of research, such as a biography or a technical book. However, in most cases, we can write books much more … Read more
When we talk about your “writing voice,” we usually mean the unique way you communicate. It involves tone, language, turns of phrase, attitude, and more. But for a moment, let’s talk about your actual voice and how you can use it to improve your writing. When you are editing your work, you will go through … Read more