He looks like a baby hippopotamus.” That’s what I overheard my fifth-grade teacher say when I tried out for hurdles before our one-day track-and-field competition. That I remember this comment some thirty-five years later says something about how much it
If making your art is adding net misery to the world,” writes Austin Kleon in his mighty little book Keep Going, “walk away and do something else. Find something else to do with your time, something that makes you and the
About a year ago I packed up my office at Baker Books and “went out on my own,” as they say. I’m pleased to say I’m still self-employed, although that’s a bit of a misnomer for reasons I’ll get to
She was about the coolest girl I’d ever met. And she’d invited me, still in high school, to hang out near her college campus about an hour away. That’s right, friends. This was the big leagues. I was relaxed, though;
Baby names are a multi-million dollar business. A quick Amazon search for “baby names” yields over 5,000 products that promise to help you name your newborn. And if you’re really concerned, you can hire a baby-naming consultant for a measly
I remember meeting with an unpublished writer in a Nashville coffee shop years ago. She told me in no uncertain terms she was a writer and was going to be published. That writer was Rachel Held Evans, and she meant
Two years ago I started a one-on-one coaching program for writers. A feature of the program clients rave about is their “Book of the Month.” Each month I send a book with a letter about why I think the book
This has been a year of transition for me! That coupled with author James Clear’s advice to do an annual review are enough for me to take up the task. Following Clear’s example, I’ll cover what went well, what didn’t
Recently I asked Joseph Michael to present a webinar on the ins and outs of Scrivener to readers of this blog. While I was the host of the webinar, I was also a very willing attendee. You see, I have
Below are questions I received recently about how to build a writer platform followed by my responses. My hope is that these questions are broadly representative of those many writers have about this often vexing topic. Before I jump into
My wife and I recently watched the new documentary on Mr. Rogers, Who’s My Neighbor? I highly recommend it for several reasons, but the big takeaway for me was how Fred Rogers pushed through his self-doubt. The movie opens, for
If you’re old enough, you might remember when there were just two flavors of coffee—Maxwell House and Folgers. Not so anymore. Not only has the number of large coffee distributors expanded, so have the blends and flavor choices! Hazelnut Creme,