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 hiking or mountain climbing.

Novelist J. K. Rowling writes about what it means to be a hero in the context of a fantasy world.

Novelist Stephen King writes about the dark side of humanity in the context of horror stories.

Personal development guru John Maxwell writes about leadership.

Historian David McCullough wrote about the humanity behind American historical figures.

For most authors, it’s many books, but one core message. You might say, “What about the books that aren’t tied to an author’s core message?” Most of the time, those books are tied into their core message in one way or another.

What about you? What’s your core message?

If you can’t articulate it yet, that’s okay. It takes time and writing a lot of words before you figure it out. Your core message gets clearer and more authentic the more you write.

Today’s Challenge: As best as you can articulate it, write down your core message as an author. Then ask three people who know you well to see if they agree.

The post What is Your Core Message? appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

Today, I want to challenge you with a topic that makes some writers uncomfortable: making money.

Why does it make some writers uncomfortable? Because many writers are only concerned with the creative side of writing. They’d rather hole up in their office, work on their books, and never think about the marketing or business side of what they do.

If that describes you, consider these questions:

What if you could make a part-time or full-time living as a writer? How would that change your life?

What if you had more income to attend conferences, take courses, or join a mastermind on writing?

What if your income was at a level where you could be more generous to causes you care about?

What would it feel like to have regular money coming in from your writing-based business—income from book royalties, courses, a membership, client work, and more?

I ask you those questions because I want you to dream about what could happen when you have more income from your writing. As a writer, you DESERVE to be paid for your creative work. If this topic interests you, go back and check out the podcast series I recently did on Making Money as a Writer. It will open your eyes to the possibilities!

So this year, I want you to be thinking about the amazing things that could happen when you increase your writing income. I worked as a college professor for many years, and over time, I built up my writing business so that I was able to quit and do writing full-time.

It happened for me, and it can happen for you, too.

Today’s Challenge: Write down three things you would do with the extra money you could make from writing this year.

The post New Year’s Goal: Make More Money in 2023 appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

Most writers feel this way about their work, too. You probably feel some type of nudge or pull toward your creative work. Regardless of whether you believe this comes from God or another source, the important thing is that we obey this calling and don’t try to run from it.

When we run, we are unhappy. When we do the work to fulfill our calling, we have a deep sense of joy and we also serve others with our gifts.

This calling, though, is never finished. It’s an ongoing pilgrimage that lasts your whole life. The author and ghostwriter Jeff Goins said, “Your calling is not a destination. It is a journey that doesn’t end until you die.”

None of us ever “arrives” as a writer in the sense that we have learned all we can learn or that we have somehow completed the mission. The mission, your calling, never ends. It is not just about how many books you write or what other accomplishments you might have. It is also about embracing the creative life, the life of an artist.

And that’s always a journey worth taking.

Question: Do you feel a calling to write? Why or why not?

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He held up another person’s book, and to the front of it he had taped a mock-up of a cover for the book he was writing. He already knew in advance the print size of the book, so he made sure to choose another print book of the same size.

I thought this was a genius idea and have been doing the same thing ever since. Anytime I’m working on a book, I always have the cover designed as early in the process as I can.

Then, I find another print book of the same size, tape the printout of my cover to the front, and keep it on my desk during the whole writing and publishing process.

This helps make the book tangible and real, instead of just a file that just lives on your computer. It also helps you make it through the rough spots in the writing and editing. When you keep the vision of the final product clear and it’s sitting on your desk, you will feel much more motivated to keep going.

Question: If you are working on a book project, do you have the cover designed yet? Have you printed it out and attached it to another book of the same size to keep your vision clear?

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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 else clearly. We trust that our perceptions about our level of talent, and other people’s talent, are pretty much on target.

But that’s almost never the case. In truth, we tend to underestimate our own potential, while overestimating everyone else’s. In other words, we think everyone else deserves success while we don’t.

Not everyone sees the world this way, but most writers do. When we see other people succeed, we believe they deserved it more or are probably more talented than we are. But the reality is that they probably just worked harder, had better connections, or were more creative with their marketing.

So the question is: Why not you? Why shouldn’t you also get to experience success? Is there any reason you shouldn’t be just as successful as the next person?

They are no more deserving than you are. In fact, none of us really deserves anything in this life. We all start with nothing, and we will exit this life not being able to carry anything with us into the next realm.

Success in your writing doesn’t have anything to do with what anyone deserves or doesn’t deserve. Success comes as a result of actions you take consistently over time.

Yes, some people are more connected, some have more resources, and so forth. But all that is irrelevant because you have the same opportunities.

So don’t ask, “Why them?” Instead, ask “Why not me?” Success doesn’t come to those who deserve it. It comes to those who work for it.

Question: Do you believe you deserve to be just as successful as the next person? If not, what’s keeping you from that belief?

Today’s episode is sponsored by the Book Marketing Mastery course. Use the code “DailyWriter” to get 10% off.

The post Why Not You? appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

The idea goes something like this: the main purpose of your life, vocationally speaking, is to find your dream. The dream is what you are meant to do. It’s granted by some otherworldly force or power. Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to keep seeking and searching, defeating obstacles and naysayers, until the dream becomes a reality.

There is some truth to that story. Anyone who has achieved anything worthwhile has defeated obstacles and ignored naysayers. But the main fault in this philosophy is that a dream is “out there” somewhere. And if you work hard enough and seek it out, you will eventually find it.

The truth is that dreams are not found. A dream does not exist out there somewhere. The whole idea of finding your dream is based on the idea that you are a passive observer to your own life.

In truth, a dream doesn’t exist anywhere outside of yourself. A dream is created from within.

A lot of writers spend years or decades passively waiting for their dream to come true. Maybe they’ll get discovered by an agent or a publisher. Maybe that book will magically get written. Maybe someone will hand them that opportunity they’ve been waiting for.

That’s not how it works. Yes, people do get discovered sometimes, and their dreams come true. But for the vast majority of writers, their dreams become reality because they worked for them. They did the work. They put in the years of effort and built their platform, their business, and their success one brick at a time.

It’s the cold, hard truth… but it’s also the most liberating thing you can possibly hear. Your dreams are not out there… they’re in here, in your mind and heart. But it’s up to you to do the work and take them from the realm of possibility to the realm of reality.

Question: Do you find this truth frustrating or liberating? Why?

The post Dreams Are Made, Not Found appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

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 how you can help other people live a better story.

It is important, however, that we don’t forget about our own stories. Those are perhaps the easiest ones to neglect. It’s easy to downplay or even disregard the value we bring to the table, and what others can learn from our experiences.

That’s why I’m excited to feature a conversation with my friend Danielle Cook. Danielle is a writer and entrepreneur who has worked with over a hundred business owners, creatives, and thought leaders who were ready to break through the noise and speak to the heart of their ideal audience. Whether it’s crafting the book you’ve been dreaming of or writing a bio that strikes the perfect balance of passion and expertise, Danielle can take your ideas and visions that have been swirling in your head and get them down on paper.

Danielle believes that the words we use transform our lives, our businesses, and our world. She is committed to helping anyone who is ready to use their voice to break through the noise and speak to the heart.

In this conversation, Danielle shares her story and how she got involved in business and writing, what it means to own your story, and some actionable steps to writing an engaging bio that uses the magic of story to build the know, like, and trust factors that are so important in communication.

You can connect with Danielle through one of the links below:

Check out Danielle’s website.

Follow Danielle on Instagram.

Connect with Danielle on LinkedIn.

The post Danielle Cook: The Power of Owning Your Story appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

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 first place?

Do I really, truly want to be doing this?

Even though I’m in love with this idea, does this person have a point?

How can I make this idea better?

The people who have rained on your parade have done you a great service. They have forced you to decide whether you should be doing this thing in the first place… and if the answer is YES, they have forced you to consider how it can be improved.

Rejection and criticism are like the refining process for precious metals. They make you more pure and more valuable. They bring out the best.

So even though you might be irritated right now, you can still be grateful because those unkind words are helping you become a better version of yourself.

Daily Question: Think of the most reject time you’ve been rejected. How did it make you better or help you have a clearer vision of what you want to accomplish as a writer?

The post Are You Grateful for Your Critics? appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

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 don’t want to be irrational or have a skewed point of view.

Is being “rational” really the best way to approach life, though?

It’s hard to believe John F. Kennedy was being entirely rational when he challenged the nation to put a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s. It’s hard to believe Michelangelo was being entirely rational when he set out to paint the Sistine Chapel. It’s hard to believe Harriet Tubman was being entirely rational when she risked her own safety to help free slaves in the days of the Underground Railroad.

None of these leaders were operating solely on what others had done before or by what other people thought was possible. They were operating by vision and an intense confidence that they could pull off something extraordinary.

Walt Disney famously said this: “Somehow I can’t believe there are many heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secret of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C’s. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and Constancy, and the greatest of these is Confidence. When you believe a thing, believe it all over, implicitly and unquestioningly.”

Do you believe you can write? Do you believe your book can change somebody’s life? Do you believe you can create a business with your writing? Do you believe you can achieve it with enough work, time, and connections?

Whatever you’ve set out to do in your writing, you must believe it. And once you can see the vision clearly in your mind, you have now set the stage for making that vision a reality.

Daily Question: What is your vision for your writing? Do you believe you can achieve it?

The post Believe It All Over appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

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 the need the limit your activities to the few things that produce the most results.

It’s hard to run a YouTube channel, host a podcast, write books, maintain a blog or newsletter, speak at conferences, and do all the other things you see influencers doing… unless it’s your full-time job and you have a staff. You’re going to have to pick and choose what to focus on.

The best filter is to focus on those activities that you enjoy, and that you will do consistently. You can grow a platform and writing career many different ways. But as you grow in your career, you will have more options, and you will need to prune the ones that don’t serve your vision and direction.

As they say, you can be whatever you want, but you can’t be everything. Focus on just a few activities that will get you the biggest results in your writing life.

Pruning is not easy. At times, it can be downright painful. But after you have prepared the soil of your mind, and planted and watered the seeds, you must cut back all the dead weight so the growth process can continue.

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