Born To Create

One of my very best friends is a guy named Eric Elder. He is a musician, author, and creative genius who runs TheRanch.org. A few years ago, we were on a call and he showed me how he stays motivated to finish the books he starts writing. You can find out more about Eric Elder and his books, music, and more by visiting TheRanch.org. On this episode, Kent shares one of his friends’ tips for how you can stay motivated to finish your book. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.      Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!     Connect with Kent:     https://DailyWriterLife.com     Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders     Instagram: https://inst

Some 4,500 years ago, tens of thousands of Egyptian workers descended upon the Giza Plateau to begin a massive construction project like the world had never seen. Over a period of twenty years, workers placed 2.3 million blocks of stone with such accuracy that it still confounds scientists today. Known as the Great Pyramid of Giza, it is the only wonder of the ancient world that survives today. On this episode, you’ll be inspired by the Ancient Egyptians that completing great work takes focus, discipline, and consistent effort. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.      Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!     Connect with Kent:     https://D

One of Aesop’s best-known fables is “The Tortoise and the Hare.” You’ve probably heard the story before. The hare challenges the tortoise to a race, confident he will win by a long shot. The race begins and the hare gets so far ahead of the tortoise that he takes a nap. When the hare wakes up, he finds that the tortoise kept moving and won the race! We can learn a lot from the tortoise. It may take a while to get where we’re going, but if we persist, we’ll eventually get there. On this episode, you’ll be reminded that the way to accomplish your writing goals is by continuing to press on and persevere through the struggles. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.      Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, jou

There’s something that has been bothering you. It’s like a pebble in your shoe that irritates you just enough that you think about it all the time. It intimidates you, taunts you, and won’t let you stop thinking about it. On this episode, Kent encourages us to face what is bothering us head-on, so we can move forward and make progress. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.      Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!     Connect with Kent:     https://DailyWriterLife.com     Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders     Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders     LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kent-sanders     Twitter: https://twitter.

This is the seventh and final entry in our mini-series on dealing with rejection. Rejection is not fun, but it still has an important place in our business and creative lives. When you’re rejected or criticized, it forces you to ask tough questions like these: Is this something I should have been doing in the first place? Do I really, truly want to be doing this? Even though I’m in love with this idea, does this person have a point? How can I make this idea better? On this episode, you’ll be encouraged that rejection clarifies who you are and what you want to accomplish. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.      Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, an

In this episode, I begin a series on the making of my Father’s memoir of his experiences in Vietnam. I’ll be writing it with him over the next year or so. I talk about why I’m doing it, some of my fears as I start the project, the process I’m using to figure out the theme of the memoir, and some of the resources that will be helpful as we create the memoir. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.      Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!     Connect with Kent:     https://DailyWriterLife.com     Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders     Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders     LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kent-sanders     Twi

This is the sixth entry in our mini-series on dealing with rejection. When your writing has been rejected—or at least when you perceive that it has—you respond emotionally. And that’s totally natural. We all respond emotionally when we’re hurt. And what do we do when we’re hurt? We lash out. We want retribution. We find a way to strike back. On this episode, Kent reminds us that when dealing with rejection, we shouldn’t publicly vent and say something we will regret later. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.      Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!     Connect with Kent:     https://DailyWriterLife.com     Facebook: https://facebook.com/ke

Whenever I talk to new writers, the most overwhelming emotion I sense from them is confusion. There are so many options and resources for writing and publishing a book that it's hard to know what to do next. Fortunately, there is a clear pathway forward, and my friend Brigitte Cutshall is here today to walk us through the formula for publishing a quality book. In fact, the title of her new fantastic book is Quality Book Formula: Professionally Publish Your Book for Excellence. Brigitte is a Solutions Consultant and the Founder of Gemini Media. She knows all the secrets to publishing a quality book after spending three decades in the print media industry. She started Gemini Media to share her insider knowledge of the best solutions with content creators like you. The solutions she offers include production services, print project management, strategic sourcing, and content development. In this conversation, Brigitte and I get pretty deep into the "geeky" side of publishing, shipping issues, and what it takes t

This is the fifth entry in our mini-series on dealing with rejection. If you saw the 2009 movie Star Trek, which was, of course, a reboot of the classic TV show, you might remember the scene where Spock gets into a fight with Kirk, then steps down from his command. The reason was that he was “emotionally compromised.” Spock knew that if he couldn’t control his emotions, it would prevent him from making good decisions as a commander. On this episode, Kent uses a scene from Star Trek to remind you to take a step back and assess where you are, so you don’t allow feelings of rejection to cause you to make decisions that you will regret later. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.      Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creat

This is the fourth entry in our series on dealing with rejection. One of the biggest paradoxes of feeling hurt is that everyone experiences it, but when you’re going through it, you feel totally alone. This happens to every great writer, leader, and artist. Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, and Steve Jobs all faced rejection or failure at some point. But they persisted. On today’s episode, you’ll be encouraged that the challenges you’re facing today are preparing you to triumph tomorrow! *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.      Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!     Connect with Kent:     https://DailyWriterLife.com     Faceboo

This is the third entry in our mini-series on dealing with rejection. The publishing world has changed radically in the last fifteen years or so. In the past, you would have to go through some kind of gatekeeper in order to get your message heard by others. This typically meant finding an agent, who would then pitch your book to publishers until one of them offered you a contract. But you no longer need to do this. On this episode, you’ll be reminded to create opportunities and connections where you’re accepted and loved for who you are.   *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.      Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!     Connect with Kent:  

This is the second entry in our mini-series on dealing with rejection. It’s happened to all of us. You had your heart set on an opportunity and it falls through. Maybe it’s a writing job, a podcast guest appearance, a collaboration, or another type of opportunity. You thought it was going to happen but now it isn’t. As the 1960s group, The Monkees, famously sang, “Tomorrow’s Gonna Be Another Day.” On this episode, you’ll be encouraged to use your time to invest in the future, instead of dwelling in your present rejection. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.      Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!     Connect with Kent:     https://DailyWr

Today’s episode is the first in a seven-part series on dealing with rejection. As writers, we deal with rejection in many forms. You can be rejected by a reader, a publisher, a literary agent, a podcaster, a beta reader, a book reviewer, a peer, and so much more. This rejection can be formal or informal, big or small. It can be direct and aggressive, or indirect and passive. Whatever form rejection takes, one thing is for certain: IT HURTS. On this episode, Kent provides a way for us to turn the pain of rejection into something that is beneficial. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.      Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!     Connect with

Have you ever noticed that writers like to talk about the things they’re working on? It’s a strange habit, isn’t it? Maybe it’s because we like to get feedback on our current work in progress, which is totally fine. Most of the time, it seems like we talk about our current writing a lot because we lack confidence and want assurance from other people that we are going in the right direction and that we actually do have talent after all. On this episode, Kent challenges us to go against the impulse to share our current writing projects and keep them a secret until they are finished. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.      Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podc

We've all heard the stories about people who take years to write a book. In some cases, that's necessary, especially if the author is writing a very large book or one that requires a lot of research, such as a biography or a technical book. However, in most cases, we can write books much more quickly if we will just get focused and organized. My guest today is here to give us a system for doing just that. In fact, she's going to walk us through how to write a book in just 12 weeks. Her name is Jennifer Harshman, and she is the owner of Harshman Services. Jennifer is an upbeat overcomer and language lover who taught herself to read and write when she was just three years old. She hasn’t stopped, consuming nearly 19,000 books so far. She began editing professionally in 1992, polishing more than 200 books and 30 million words since. When she's not working with words and leading her team, Jennifer can be found with her family coping with disabilities, homeschooling, playing with paint, or making music with her fl

If writing is a house, each of us lives on two levels. The ground floor is where we invite people in. We share things we think people want to hear. Underneath the ground floor, there is also a basement. The basement is where we keep boxes full of the things we really want to say. But we rarely bring them out because we’re not sure how people will respond. On this episode, you’ll be emboldened to stop holding back and share the things that you’re afraid to say. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.      Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!     Connect with Kent:     https://DailyWriterLife.com     Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders   

The way some of us writers shrink back from a challenge, you’d think we live forever. We hesitate to write that book because we fear what others will think. We don’t set up that website because it feels too hard. We don’t meet with that person who is five years ahead of us because we’re intimidated. We don’t make that social media post because we question whether we’re a good enough writer. It might feel scary in the moment, but what about a hundred years from now? On this episode, you’ll be reminded that you won’t be able to take those ideas, stories, dreams, or plans with you, so you should live with courage and share your writing with the world.   *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.      Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative to

When you begin studying the lives of the great writers, one of the most surprising things you’ll learn is how well aware most of them were regarding their limitations and the role that luck played in their success. For example, Ernest Hemingway once said, “I have tried simply to write the best I can; sometimes I have good luck and write better than I can.” On this episode, you’ll learn that luck plays a role in your writing career, but you can have control over how much “luck” comes your way. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.      Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!     Connect with Kent:     https://DailyWriterLife.com     Facebook: htt

One of the curses of being a writer is that we are too rational. We pride ourselves on reporting the facts of a situation accurately. We love the idea of having an objective point of view, then giving our commentary or perspective. We don’t like the idea of getting carried away with our emotions. We don’t want to be irrational or have a skewed point of view. Is being “rational” really the best way to approach life, though? On this episode, Kent reminds us that in order to be a successful writer, you must believe in your vision, regardless of what others may say, and work to achieve it. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.      Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts,

Every day, you are surrounded by news—news on the internet, news on television, news in the newspaper, news that other people deliver. Have you ever thought about how the “news” is actually created? What makes a “news” story, anyway? Have you ever noticed that the day’s news conveniently fits into a half-hour broadcast? Of course, we know that more things happen than fit into a news program, but we’re so conditioned to accept this content as “news” that we rarely question it. On this episode, you’ll discover that, as a writer, you have the power to influence people’s perspectives by highlighting the events that happen in the world. *** Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow your writing business? Check out our Daily Writer Community.      Check out our Daily Writing Prompts, which will help you break through creative blocks, brainstorm new ideas, and get back into a state of flow. Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative wri