On a day-to-day basis, we are consumed with the here and now—what we have to write and publish today or this week. Expand your horizons and think not just about this week, this month, or this year. Go beyond even the next five or ten years. Think a hundred years into the future. How will … Read more
When I became a college professor in 2004, one of the courses I was assigned was Introduction to the Arts. It was a basic survey course covering visual art, architecture, music, theatre, and film from a Christian philosophical viewpoint. The area I knew the least about was architecture. I had always been fascinated by it, … Read more
Every writer understands this basic truth: it’s easy to let one day run into the next one. Then weeks, months and eventually years pass by and you wonder where the time went. The writing life can have a certain monotony to it that makes it hard to feel like each is unique or special. Nothing … Read more
It has been said that the middle of every project feels like a disaster. You’re far enough away from the starting point that you’ve lost some of the enthusiasm you had at the beginning. But you’re too far away from the end to see the finish line. How do you break through the messy middle … Read more
In your author journey, it is easy to view yourself as the hero. You’ve worked hard on your writing, books, and marketing. You’ve conquered emotional obstacles. You’ve proven to yourself that you can do it. All of those are heroic acts, to be sure, but it may surprise you to learn that in your author … Read more
If you’ve been listening to this podcast for a while, you’re probably familiar with my story. I used to be a pastor, then I was a teacher at a Christian college for a long time before I made ghostwriting and coaching my main gig. I am extremely familiar with the tension that comes from wanting … Read more
Jealousy causes us to be inwardly focused. The more we fixate on what others have, the more angry, resentful, and bitter we become. You can’t be at your best as a writer when you’re angry, resentful, and bitter. Those emotions are like an empty well that is dry and lifeless. They will suck the life right out … Read more
In the musical “Hamilton,” Aaron Burr sings a number called “The Room Where It Happens.” He is upset that his rival, Hamilton, has been invited into the inner circle of James Madison and Thomas Jefferson to help make decisions that will impact the future of the country. All the while, Burr is left out in … Read more
One of the most critical truths of living in the modern world is that we are all connected. As the poet John Donne wrote, “No man is an island.” (And neither is any woman, of course.) And because you are the type of writer who wants to be generous, the kind of writer who gives … Read more
Every day, you are surrounded by news—news on the internet, news on television, news in the newspaper, news that other people deliver. Have you ever thought about how the “news” is actually created? What makes a “news” story, anyway? Let’s take the most ubiquitous form of news we all grew up with: the nightly news … Read more