Here is one of the most interesting paradoxes of successful writers: the more books someone writes, the more obvious their core message is. Your core message is the main theme, the golden thread, that dominates most of your content. Some examples: Adventure author Jon Krakauer writes about human drama in life-or-death outdoor situations such as … Read more
We’re doing a short series on New Year’s Goals for writers in 2023. Over the last couple of days, we’ve talked about writing a book, and joining a writing group, this year. Today, I want to challenge you with a topic that makes some writers uncomfortable: making money. Why does it make some writers uncomfortable? … Read more
In the Christian community, there is a lot of talk about the concept of calling. Most Christian leaders have experienced some type of calling toward their work. They see it as a spiritual invitation from God, a continuation of the great tradition of biblical leaders like Moses, David, and Paul who experienced a supernatural call. … Read more
One of my very best friends is a guy named Eric Elder. He is a musician, author, and creative genius who runs https://theranch.org. A few years ago, we were on a call and he showed me how he stays motivated to finish the books he starts writing. He held up another person’s book, and to … Read more
One of the most important truths you will ever learn as a human being is coming to grips with the idea that you don’t have an objective view of reality. This is hard to hear because we are deluded into believing we see things as they are. We assume we can see ourselves and everyone … Read more
One of the most pervasive ideas in Western culture is the concept of “finding your dreams.” No one knows for sure where this idea came from. It has probably been around in some form for as long as there have been stories about heroes and their goals. The idea goes something like this: the main … Read more
As writers, we spend a lot of time focusing on helping other people tell their stories. Maybe you do client work, coaching, run a writing community as I do, or interview others for a podcast, as I do as well. Even if you only write for yourself, much of your time is spent thinking about … Read more
This is the seventh and final entry in our mini-series on dealing with rejection. Rejection is not fun, but it still has an important place in our business and creative lives. When you’re rejected or criticized, it forces you to ask tough questions like these: Is this something I should have been doing in the … Read more
One of the curses of being a writer is that we are too rational. We pride ourselves on reporting the facts of a situation accurately. We love the idea of having an objective point of view, then giving our commentary or perspective. We don’t like the idea of getting carried away with our emotions. We … 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