The Unstoppable Power of Showing Up
I’m on author, speaker, and business school professor David Burkas’ mailing list. Burkas opened his first email of the New Year with the following sentence: “I’m not setting any goals for 2019.” It’s a bold statement, especially for someone like Burkas, a non-fiction author in the information sharing and teaching realm. Burkas’ email went on…
The Marquis de Sade Didn’t Have a Writing Coach
I write a lot about the benefits of working with a writing coach. (Go figure, huh? The writing coach likes to write about the benefits of coaching!) As a result, I’m sometimes asked if I think every writer must have a writing coach in order to achieve success. When I’m asked this question, I can’t help…
I Found Some Time to Write Under the Couch Cushions
How to Find the Time to Write (Even if You Have a Full-time Job) is one of the most popular webinars I’ve offered over the years. The training is filled with tips and hacks for better time management and productivity. The hundreds of writers who have attended the training come away filled to the brim with…
Would you cut off a limb to get your book published?
My coaching rates went up this year, and they’re going to continue to go up in the foreseeable future. If you’re looking for a one-on-one writing coach with cheaper rates than me, you’re not going to have any problem finding one. And that doesn’t bother me in the least. I’ll tell you why in a…
MATH… the Productive Writer’s Secret Weapon?!
If you’re anything like the writers I work with on a daily basis, there’s a good chance you avoid math, equations, and numbers like the plague. I get it! My oldest daughter is now in grade 3, which means I’m struggling to help her with her math homework almost every night. I am no fan…
The Role Belief Plays in Winning NaNoWriMo
The first step to achieving any kind of success in life is embracing the belief that achieving the goal you have set for yourself is actually possible. In The Miracle Morning for Writers, author Hal Elrod describes this mindset as a state of “unwavering faith,” and he argues that it’s a key component to achieving greatness. What…
The Importance of Staying Nimble: NaNoWriMo, The Miracle Morning… and Cat Poo
I recently joined a membership site providing video training focused on health, relationships, and business. One of the courses contained in the site is hosted by Hal Elrod, author of the book The Miracle Morning: The 6 Habits that Will Transform Your Life Before 8 am. After a near death experience, Elrond decided to change his…
4 Options for What to Do with Editorial Feedback
At some point during the book development process, you’re going to receive editorial feedback. Whether it’s feedback from an agent, editor, critique partner, or writing coach, someone with experience and/or perspective is going to provide you with advice about how to improve your work. What you choose to do with that advice is up to…
The World Doesn’t Need Your Book
When aspiring authors ask writing coaches and successful creatives advice on how to get motivated and break through blocks, the response is inevitably the inspiring reassurance: “The world needs your book.” This is, of course, not just a platitude, but straight-up bullshit. The world doesn’t need your book. The world has enough books. Think of the people…
4 Awesome Ways to Ensure You Celebrate Small Wins While Writing a Book
At your day job, you’ve probably spent long hours working to complete a project or implement a new process only to have your boss and colleagues completely fail to notice the effort you put in. Or maybe you’ve made major body composition changes by following a strict diet and a focused exercise program, only to…
