There is a common trait among successful writers, and it has nothing to do with skill, talent, genre, or style. Instead, it has everything to do with taking responsibility for your own life choices. Most people are passive observers to their own lives. They accept the choices that life hands to them. They assume what … Read more
It’s been a rough couple of years for many people, but today we set aside our worry and stress and instead set our sights on gratitude. Here on Thanksgiving Day, we writers have a lot to be thankful for. I thought it would be fun to consider five specific things each of us can be … Read more
As you continue to grow in your writing skills, your connections, and your influence, you will have more and more opportunities. This is both a good and bad thing. Opportunities are wonderful! You can write for more outlets or reach more readers with your own writing. With this expanded influence and connection also comes the … Read more
Let’s talk about one of the more uncomfortable truths of the author life. It has nothing to do with books, but it has everything to do with how others perceive you. And therefore, that means it has everything to do with your social standing and how much others want to be around you. Here’s the … Read more
You’ve heard the saying “curiosity killed the cat.” The phrase has been around in some form or another for hundreds of years and is meant to be a warning to those who would investigate a matter too closely. Perhaps we take it a little too far. When have you ever heard of someone actually being … Read more
Everything in life is a choice. You can choose when to write. You can choose what to write. You can choose to pursue a literary agent and sign a contract with a traditional publisher. You can choose to self-publish. You can choose to be exclusive to one publishing platform. You can publish on all of … Read more
As you continue to grow in your writing skills, your connections, and your influence, you will have more and more opportunities. This is both a good and bad thing. Obviously, opportunities are wonderful! You can write for more outlets or reach more readers with your own writing. With this expanded influence and connection also comes … Read more
In the Hero’s Journey storytelling template, we begin with the main character. He or she exists in what is called the “ordinary world.” The ordinary world is Luke Skywalker on Tatooine, Dorothy in Kansas, Frodo in the Shire, Michael Corleone before he gets wrapped up in the family business, and a thousand other examples from … Read more
What causes some writers to be successful and not others? Is it talent? Opportunity? Or just plain old luck? That’s what many people believe. When they see a writer who is successful, they attribute it to chance. They assume that if you bloom, it means you happened to get planted in a good garden, and … Read more