All Episodes
Episodes
Be a Finisher
It’s scary to start a writing project. But you know what’s even scarier? Finishing it. Sometimes we think that being a writer means to be constantly gaining new ideas and exploring creative possibilities—which is...
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Your Only Competition
If you ever run a race, you’ll notice there are two kinds of runners: those who are competing against everyone else, and those who are competing against themselves. The ones who are competing against everyone else...
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If You Want to Change the World
Most of us grow up believing that we can change the world.  Then, as we get older, some life experience and a bit of cynicism set in. Pretty soon we give up on the idea of changing much of anything… much less the...
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Historian Craig Fehrman on the U.S. Presidents as Authors
The office of the President of the United States gets a lot of attention for various reasons, but have you ever looked at our Presidents through the lens of the books they wrote? If you've never considered this,...
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But Does it Make You Happy?
There are a lot of questions you have probably asked about the results of your writing. Here are a few of them: Will it make my life better? Will it make me money? Will it grow the size of my audience? Here is another...
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3 Ways to Write About Your Pain
If you had to pin down one universal emotion that all humans experience, it’s pain. We are often afraid to share our pain because we’re afraid we will look weak. So, we lock up our feelings in a box, set it on a shelf...
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It's the Most Important Skill
There are lots of skills that are important for writers, but there is one skill that trumps them all. It also happens to be the oldest communication skill in the world: storytelling. But, when it comes to fiction,...
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Be So Good They Can’t Ignore You
The comedian Steve Martin famously said, “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” The simplicity of this statement is stunning. Those seven words contain the secret of getting noticed, building an audience, and all the...
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Here’s How to Instantly Multiply Your Ideas
John Steinbeck said, “Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” Writers are known for their creativity, but the truth is that the well sometimes runs...
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What Do You Want to Say?
If you identify as a writer—and I assume you do since you’re listening to this podcast—you probably have some type of outlet for writing. Having a place to write, and having an audience who expects your work on a...
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John David Mann on the Art & Craft of Storytelling
There are many different types of writing—journalism, novels, short stories, nonfiction, blog posts, graphic novels, and a hundred others. But one thing that ties all writing together is storytelling. Stories are the...
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Are You Open to Receiving?
On this podcast, we talk a lot about giving. I want you to be a generous writer. But what does that mean, exactly? I look at it this way. Being a generous writer means that you give more in value than you receive from...
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