One of the saddest plays ever performed in American theater is “Death of a Salesman.” It was written by Arthur Miller and first performed on Broadway in 1949. “Death of a Salesman” tells the story of the last 24 hours in the life of Willy Loman, a salesman who never quite achieves the success he … 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
Social media for authors can be great because it lets us connect with so many others around the world. It also has a downside: jealousy and bad feelings from seeing all the wins that other writers are having. We don’t see the struggle, failure, or heartaches that went into creating those wins. That’s why you … Read more
Today, we’re concluding a short series on New Year’s Goals for writers. We’re touching on a few areas I want you to focus on this coming year. These will make a huge difference if you take action and do them. So far, we’ve talked about some big goals that can change your life, and the … Read more
We’re in the middle of a short series on New Year’s Goals for writers. Over the last few days, we’ve talked about writing a book, joining a writing group, and making more money with your writing this year. Those are all fantastic goals that will increase your impact and income! But today, let’s turn the … Read more
One of my all-time favorite movies is the classic It’s a Wonderful Life. Millions of people around the world watch this movie every Christmas season. Why? Not only because it’s a great story with relatable characters, but because it represents one of the most basic truths about life: the value of friendship. If you’ve seen … Read more
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
There are certain qualities we prize in the writing world. One of them is knowledge. It seems like we should know what we are getting ourselves into, right? Who respects a writer who seems aloof and doesn’t know what’s going on? Another quality we prize is humility. Surely we don’t want to become one of … Read more
Over the last few days, we have been talking about developing a growth-oriented mindset. This is a mindset that is not fixed in place, but is instead flexible and ready to grow. After you have prepared by tilling the soil of your mind, planted by keeping track of your ideas, watered your mind by reading, … 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. When I was a kid back in the 1980s, I listened to a lot of Christian music. My favorite album during that … Read more