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
Every period in history seems like the worst for people going through it. The past couple of years have certainly been challenging on many levels. One look at your social media feed or any news channel will tell you that people are upset and hurting. It’s natural to feel angry and frustrated when there is … Read more
In a world of equality and opportunity, 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
Water can be a metaphor for life or death. Ask anyone who has gotten sick from contaminated water or tried to avoid falling out of a canoe while going down the piranha-infested Amazon River. They will tell you that water can be deadly. But what about a person dying of thirst in the desert, or … 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 day is unique or special. … Read more
Each year on Christmas Eve, millions of people gather around their TV sets—or today, their computer screens—to watch the classic movie It’s a Wonderful Life. The main character, George Bailey, has a chance to see what the small town of Bedford Falls would have been like if he had never been born. In one scene, … Read more
In your life as a writer, there are many things you get to choose: how and when you write, what kind of material you create, the type of platform you want to build, and so much more. But there is one thing none of us gets to decide: the times in which we live. Right … 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
How do you respond to successful writers? The ones with bestselling books, large platforms, or lots of influence? When it comes to dealing with them, we commonly have two different responses. Either we dismiss their success as dumb luck, or we ignore them because their success reinforces our own insecurity. If you have ever responded … Read more