Born To Create

We have been talking a lot about habits here on the podcast lately. Let’s talk for a moment about a habit that will boost your confidence and will be good for your business, also. It’s simply telling people that you’re a writer. On today’s episode, you’ll discover how taking ownership of your identity as a writer helps your motivation and enhances your marketing strategy. ***     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/k

Okay, it’s time for some real honest talk between writers. Just you and me, two friends gathered around the podcast, baring our souls together. I’ll be honest: I’m starting to have a real issue with all the writers who whine about writing being so hard. I mean… it is really so hard? When I think about “hard” things in life, sometimes I have trouble putting writing in the same league. On today’s episode, you’ll be reminded that putting things in perspective and having the right mindset changes your writing. ***     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

One of the most difficult things for us to do as writers is get into a state of creative flow. Yet, it's also one of the most important things we can do. Without a state of flow, it is hard to make meaningful progress in our writing. We constantly have to deal with fits and starts, instead of enjoying steady progress. My guest today is the amazing Ken Carfagno. Ken is a successful cleaning business owner, and is the host of the Smart Cleaning School Podcast, which helps cleaning business owners take their business to the next level. Ken is also the author of the fantastic young adult novel, Arctic Land. Ken wrote this book a few years ago for his kids, and he is working on a sequel. I asked Ken to share his process for writing this book. In this conversation, you will learn a lot about great habits. This is almost like a masterclass in using great habits to start—and FINISH—a book project. I took a bunch of notes from this conversation, and I know you will, too! You can check out Ken’s novel, listen to his po

There is a lot of pressure in the writing and publishing worlds to create the “right” words—words that are moving, effective, emotional, and whatever other superlatives we want to put on them. Is it important to impact the reader and make a big difference? Sure. But you don’t get the gold unless you dig for it. On today’s episode, Kent shares how adopting a miner’s mindset and work ethic is the only way we can extract the gold from our writing. ***     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:

One of the most vital questions we can ask in our writing is, “What can I cut out?” This is a great habit to adopt because cutting makes your writing sharper, crisper, and cleaner. When you write, go back through it and take out all unnecessary adverbs, filler, and padding. Longer does not mean better. Longer usually means the piece is more diluted. On today’s episode, you’ll learn a simple way to edit yourself and get to the heart of what you’re writing. ***     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    

As a ghostwriter, I live and die by word counts. Page numbers mean very little because pages come in all sizes, and fonts and spacing can be increased or decreased. Word count is the best way to measure your progress and productivity. If you don’t have a daily word count for your current work in progress, may I suggest 250 words? That is very doable for almost anyone. It amounts to about a page per day. On today’s episode, Kent shares how writing just 250 words a day can radically change the amount of content you produce in a just a few months. ***     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 wit

Have you ever seen someone make pottery? It’s actually quite fascinating. It’s fun to watch them at work, and it’s often breathtaking to see the beautiful pots, vases, bowls, and other works of art they create with their bare hands. But what comes before the beautiful, finished product? You guessed it—putting a messy lump of clay on the table and getting their hands dirty. On today’s episode, you’ll be encouraged to get messy and finish your first draft. ***     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    

Years before he was known as the star of the beloved sitcom Seinfeld, Jerry Seinfeld was a successful stand-up comedian. For comedians of his era in the 1970s and 1980s, the golden key to success was appearing on The Tonight Show, hosted by Johnny Carson. Carson ruled the late-night airwaves for thirty years. He was the most important Kingmaker in American culture. If you were invited to do a 5-minute set on The Tonight Show, and Johnny liked you, your career was set. In 1981, Seinfeld was scheduled for his first appearance on the show. On today’s episode, you’ll learn a key lesson from how Jerry Seinfeld prepared for his interview on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. ***     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 ar

Writers want lots of things. We want to have successful books. We want to be acknowledged for our creative work. We want to make a difference in people’s lives through our writing. We probably want to make a little money if we can… or even a writing-based business that supports our family. There is another thing that many writers want, especially the introverts who have a limited amount of emotional energy to go around. What is it? We want a day where we don’t have to talk to anyone. A day when we can get lost in our thoughts without the distractions of conversations. A day we can devote to making great progress in our current writing project. A day when we can recharge our emotional batteries instead of seeing them drained by the needs of friends, connections, clients, or family. On today’s episode, you’ll learn how implementing a “no call” day can revitalize your creativity, focus, and energy. ***     Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous writers to help you build better habits and grow

Have you ever avoided doing something that scares you? As writers, we face this every day. After all, writing is scary! Our most important task is to "slay the dragons" that keep us from our writing dreams. My guest today is T.K. Johnson, and she's a fiction author who is here to help us do just that. She is the author of riveting plot twists, fantastical worlds, and spellbinding relationships. T.K. is a YA fantasy author of The Loraillvon Series. With four books published and another set for release this year, her stories help readers face the dragons of our world through fiction before they confront them in reality. She is from Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she creates from her 100-year-old tiny house. In this conversation, T.K. shares how she has conquered fear and developed habits that have allowed her to write several novels. She also shares her story development process, thoughts on self-publishing, and so much more. We also geek out over Star Wars! I loved the theme of this episode. If you have resisted d

Yesterday, we looked at ten habits that make writing harder. The list was pretty depressing because most people have most of those habits in their life. It’s not all bad news, though. You can implement better habits into your life that make writing a lot easier. Writing doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It exists alongside other systems and dynamics in your life. Just as with the human body, everything affects everything else. On today’s episode, Kent shares 10 habits that make writing easier and more enjoyable. ***     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 

Writing is hard enough already. We are constantly fighting against deadlines, self-confidence issues, the need to market versus being productive, distractions, and so much more. But sometimes we make it even harder by sabotaging our own success. On today’s episode, Kent shares 10 habits we writers often have that make writing harder. ***     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://twitte

Yesterday, we talked about the value of hitting singles. The main idea was this: if you focus on getting small wins every day, you will eventually win the game. Let’s look at this from another perspective. Recently, I was doing a little 90’s musical reminiscing and listening to the Backstreet Boys (Don’t judge me). It dawned on me that I only knew a couple of their songs.  That got me thinking… they’ve only had a few big hits over the years, even though they’ve been making music since the mid-90’s. With nine studio albums, that’s not a great batting average.  But it’s the same story for almost every musical artist. On average, a full-length album might only have 1-2 “hits.” On today’s episode, Kent shares insight from the baseball and music industries to illustrate why it’s vital for you to keep showing up and putting in the work. ***     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.     

Today, I want to use an analogy from the world of baseball to help us understand the value of putting in the work every day. One of the greatest reputations you can acquire as a baseball player is that of a home run hitter. Everybody loves the player who can reliably step up to the plate, crack the bat, and send the baseball flying into the stands.  I was curious about how many major league baseball hits were singles, doubles, triples, and home runs. I came across a nifty graphic from a baseball stats website. It shows the distribution, by decade, of the four types of hits over the history of baseball. The distribution of these hits has changed over the decades, but one fact is absolutely clear: Most hits are singles.  On today’s episode, you’ll be encouraged that the way you achieve writing success is through the small, daily victories. ***     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

Most people, including myself, create a task list each day. We also call this a “to do” list. These are things we must do. And in a world that increasingly demands our attention every second—in a world filled with ever-increasing opportunities and connections—this list seems to get longer all the time. The antidote to all this is to create a “stop doing” list. These are things you are NOT going to do. On today’s episode, Kent shares why it’s important to create a list of the negative things to eliminate from your life, so you can focus on what produces growth. ***     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!

Although this podcast is called The Daily Writer, the reality is that many people don’t write every day. They may set aside time every couple of days or once a week to work on their writing. I want you to know that this is totally legitimate. You shouldn’t take the concept of the “daily writer” too literally. The main point is to write regularly, whatever that looks like for your schedule. The more regularly you do it, the better you will be. On today’s episode, you’ll find one of the best ways to be more productive with your writing is by batching your work. ***     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! 

Do you have trouble focusing and getting your writing done? It's a common problem almost all writers face. On today's episode, we'll explore how to focus and be more productive with your writing using cutting-edge science. My guest is Dan Clark, CEO of Brain.fm, a company that takes a science-first approach to creating music that sounds different, and affects you differently, than anything you've heard. Dan originally worked as a website and app developer, but decided to switch careers from building an advertising agency when he came across Brain.fm. He bought an account in his first session and was so excited after just a week of use, he was determined to be part of the company. He called them 12 times until he finally got a job, and worked the first month for free. Fast forward, he’s now the CEO of Brain.fm, and was named one of Forbes 30 under 30 in 2019. Dan is always excited about how technology can change the world. On this episode, Dan shares the science behind Brain.fm, how the music is created, and w

In the previous episode, I mentioned the importance of finishing a first draft of your book. But the urgency doesn’t stop there. I’m not saying you should be sloppy or rush through things. You should make your book, or any writing for that matter, as good as it can be. But the fact of the matter is that we all have limited time on this earth. On today’s episode, you’ll learn that one of the best ways to get better as a writer is by releasing your work into 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 writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and more!     Connect with Kent:     https://DailyWriterLife.com     Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent

Why don’t people finish goals that are important them? There are probably many answers to that question, but an obvious reason is that they simply get tired and don’t see a lot of discernible progress toward the goal. Take writing a book, for example. If you tend to be a perfectionist, writing a book can take a very long time because you’re trying to both write and edit as you go. On today’s episode, you’ll be encouraged to write your book as quickly as possible, instead of worrying about making it perfect in the first draft. ***     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:/

One of the reasons why we sometimes get stuck in our writing is that we see how much there is left to do. Let’s say you’re writing a 750-word blog post. You would typically write this in sections—an introduction, two or three main points, and a conclusion or call to action. So really, this is a collection of pieces that are somewhere between 100-200 words each. You can have trouble getting motivated when you see how much there is left to do. On today’s episode, Kent shares a powerful trick you can use to break your typical writing pattern and renew your creativity. ***     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