Imagine your book is in the world, and it’s something of a masterpiece. It keeps getting heralded as a breakthrough in its space, a gift. Now imagine that everyone who buys your book sits down with it and starts reading. When they finish it, they start over. Then they read
A few weeks ago, I typed two words into ChatGPT: “Feeling overwhelmed.” Between a busy summer season, organizing a writer’s retreat, and delivering on promises to clients, not to mention the daily work of being a husband and father to teenagers, I was not in a good place. “Feeling overwhelmed”
Ever had a book that earned glowing reviews but mysteriously stopped selling? Recently an author friend emailed me with exactly this problem. Her book was praised as “life-changing” and “literary excellence,” yet sales slowed down drastically. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Let’s dive into why this happens—and how to revive
William Zinsser, writing professor and author of the million-copy classic On Writing Well, would probably tell you this sentence is too long. He’d also tell you the hardest decision any writer makes is how to begin a piece. “Your lead must capture the reader immediately,” he wrote, “and compel him
Intense emotions are part of life, and they certainly come with the territory if you’re a writer. Whether it’s stress, fear, frustration, grief, sorrow, anger, or some other feeling, we all have times when strong emotions threaten to overtake us. As writers, we can struggle with knowing how to continue
I’m in Chicago, about to board a train to Grand Rapids. I took a Lyft to Union Station and entered at Canal Street, an entrance that brings you onto a landing where you choose escalator or stairs to go down to where the trains are. I came through the doors
If you’re a writer who is struggling or could use some inspiration, you could do a lot worse than making Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art your soundtrack for the next two weeks, or longer. Whether you listen to the audiobook (2.5 hours) or read it (170 pages), engaging this
This past May (2023) marked five years of fulltime self-employment as a writing coach. I’d like to mark the occasion by sharing some reflections on my experience so far. Listening to Clients and Customers When I went out on my own in 2018, I had three main products I’ll list
You’re likely aware of Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken.” The poem ends with the famous line “I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference.” Nice idea. The problem is that the narrator of the poem knows full well the path he
Sometimes when I’m working with writers, a question comes along that pierces me. I was leading a group of writers a little while back when one of the participants wrote in the chat space: “I struggle with making myself write—even a little—when I don’t have something I think is of
In The Psychology of Money, Morgan Housel reports on the work of Angus Campbell, a psychologist who studied what makes people happy. Campbell wrote, “Having a strong sense of controlling one’s life is a more dependable predictor of positive feelings of wellbeing than any of the objective conditions of life
As a writer, whether you’re working on nonfiction or fiction, one of the biggest challenges you face is building an audience. Without readers, you won’t have the benefit of early feedback on your work. You likely won’t be able to land a book deal if you’re going the traditional route.