Chad R. Allen Blog

Chad R. Allen Blog

Craft of Writing
Chad R. Allen

Want to Do Something Beautiful Together?

Thank you so much for the supportive and generous response to my last post. When I started this blog a year and a half ago, I never dreamed I’d meet so many cool people. So again, thank you. Here we go: I hereby officially announce the Jump4Haiti campaign! It’s really

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Craft of Writing
Chad R. Allen

40,000 Ways to Be Beautiful

My 40th birthday is April 9, 2014. Thresholds like this have a way of putting life into perspective because we want our lives to matter. We want to make a difference. So what is it? What can I do? These questions have haunted me as I’ve thought about a worthwhile

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Craft of Writing
Chad R. Allen

Phyllis Tickle Turns 80!

I’ve been honored and blessed to work with Phyllis Tickle on a few books. For those of you who don’t know her, Phyllis was the founding editor of the religion department at Publishers Weekly and is the author of numerous books. She is perhaps best known for popularizing the Divine Office with

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Creativity & Mindset
Chad R. Allen

Do You Make This Mistake in Your Creative Work?

“The hardest part of the process is getting centered,” our instructor told us. My wife and I were fifteen minutes into a pottery class, watching our teacher push on a piece of clay as it spun. “But if your clay’s not centered,” she continued, “it will warp and your piece

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Craft of Writing
Chad R. Allen

What Successful People Know

“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.” — Seneca What are you thinking about doing that seems really difficult right now?

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Craft of Writing
Chad R. Allen

22 Clever Ways to Find Time to Write

When writing is your dream job but not your day job, fitting it in the margins of life can be tough. Following are 22 ways to find more writing time: 1. When driving, speak into a voice recorder app. Transcribe it later when you have time. Or you could try

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Craft of Writing
Chad R. Allen

The Best Way to Find Time to Do Your Art

The survey’s gone out, the results are in, and here’s one finding you can take to the bank: The number 1 reason by far that creatives give for not doing their art is “lack of time.” What’s the solution to that? Do we really need 22 clever ways to find

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Craft of Writing
Chad R. Allen

4 Simple Steps to Your Best Valentine’s Day Ever

If you’re like most people, you’re getting nervous. The Valentine’s Day displays have reminded you that Cupid is coming, and you’ve got nothing. It’s not that you don’t love your spouse or significant other. In fact, it’s how much you do love her/him coupled with the anxiety of anticipating this

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A Lament for Philip Seymour Hoffman

Man you could act. I was absolutely transfixed by your Truman Capote, and terrified by your villain in Mission Impossible. You made me weep in The Savages, and I hated you with everything in me in Doubt. And now you’re gone. Mr. Hoffman, what happened? What was the darkness that

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Craft of Writing
Chad R. Allen

What I Learned about You, and How You Knocked Me Off My Feet

I have been poring over the survey results, and I can’t tell you how energized I am as I read these. I’m eager to share some of what I’ve learned. Who You Are Your vocations vary! Among those who responded were writers, visual artists, musicians, career coaches, podcasters, bloggers, graphic

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