Born To Create

If you spend any time among a group of novelists, you will pretty quickly hear two terms: pantsers and plotters. Pantsers are the ones who prefer to write by the “seat of their pants.” They love to develop a great opening, then discover the story as they write. Pantsers get bored if they know where the whole story is going ahead of time. Plotters are the ones who have to carefully outline the whole plot of a novel before they begin writing. They need to know where the story is going or they can’t start. Lots of writers have taken either approach and created great novels, short stories, and other works of art. Plotting can work just as well as pantsing when it comes to writing a fiction story. But it doesn’t work so well when it comes to your real-life story—the story of your writing career and your journey as a writer. On today's episode, Kent reminds us not to worry about trying to figure out the whole journey ahead… but to embrace the mystery. ***   Are you looking for a community of enthusiastic, generous

One of the themes of this podcast is “courage.” I want you to consistently do things that scare you.   Why? Because when you do things that feel intimidating, you accomplish greater things and you increase your capacity to impact others. After all, you can only make a bigger impact when do things that are uncomfortable and you take a risk.   That’s why I’m excited to feature this interview with my friend Jeffrey Shaw. He is a leading voice for self-employed business owners, and his top-rated podcast, The Self-Employed Life, is heard in 200 countries by 30,000 or so listeners a month.   Jeffrey is the author of the bestselling book, LINGO and the much-anticipated book, The Self-Employed Life: Business and Personal Development Strategies That Create Sustainable Success, as well as being a TEDx speaker.   You might think, “What does all this have to do with writing?” It’s directly related because we talk a lot on this podcast about the business side of writing. If you want to think more like a business ow

There are certain qualities we prize in the writing world. One of them is knowledge. It seems like we should know what we are getting ourselves into, right? Who respects a writer who seems to be aloof and doesn’t know what’s going on? Another quality we prize is humility. Surely we don’t want to become one of those writers who has a pretty high opinion of themselves, right? There is some truth in that. But there is also something to be said for going ahead and doing the work even though we don’t have it all figured out. There is something to be said for having a pretty good amount of confidence in who we are and what we have to say. On this episode, Kent shares the surprising truth about the value of ignorance and a bit of arrogance. ***   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 i

One of the most popular episodes of the original Twilight Zone series is “Time Enough at Last.” Burgess Meredith plays Henry Bemis, a bank teller with thick glasses who is obsessed with reading.   One day, during his lunch break, he goes to the bank vault to read. Suddenly, there is a violent explosion, which knocks him out. He later wakes up to find that an atomic bomb has destroyed the world. He was protected from the blast by the bank vault, and now he is the only person left on earth.   Henry wanders the ruined city in despair and comes to the town library where he finds all the books still intact. He suddenly realizes that he has all the time in the world to read and no one to bother him. In one of the greatest plot twists in television history, he reaches down for a book and drops his glasses, shattering the lenses.   Henry Bemis had all the time in the world, but lost the one tool he needed to make use of it.   On today’s episode, Kent encourages us to try a piece of productivity advice from the creato

My guest today is Karen Anderson, and she is imminently qualified to talk about what it means to be successful as an author. She is a Strategic Book Coach and Associate Publisher for Morgan James Publishing (full disclosure: I am a proud literary scout for Morgan James!).    Karen is also a nationally published author, a co-author on numerous books, a self-published author, a ghostwriter, and an editor. She recently co-authored with her husband, Steve, the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller The Bezos Letters: 14 Principles to Grow Your Business Like Amazon, which has now been translated into 18 languages.     Karen’s newest project is called Unleash the Power of Your Book. She and her business partner, Marji Ross, help already-published authors re-launch and leverage their books to increase sales and maximize revenue, no matter when the book came out.    On this episode, Karen talks about various ways to define success, the biggest mistakes authors make, and the ways successful authors think diff

It can be hard to stay creative when you’re busy. Today, I’m revisiting an episode from 2019 where I answer a question sent in by Brian Mays about prioritizing your creative work: “Priority is a challenge for me. I am creative in my day job, but I'd love to shift what I'm doing as a professional creative to something a bit more niche. It's tough finding time to roll with that and do the "regular things" as a professional day in and day out. I can't remember doing much portrait drawing in the past year, and I miss it. It just never feels as important.” ***   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 Writing prompts are a fantastic creative tool for creative writing, journaling, teaching, social media posts, podcasting, and mor

Are you having trouble writing? Do you feel like you can’t regain your focus? Do you feel short-tempered and irritable?   When we feel this way, the first conclusion we jump to is that we have writer’s block or that we’re just not creative. But the problem could be much simpler than that.   Maybe you need the same thing that preschoolers need whenever they get cranky. It’s probably time for a nap.   On today's episode, you'll learn about the restorative power of intentional rest.   ***    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:/

On this episode, we're going old-school and talking about analog tools for writing. It may seem out of touch to be talking about pens, pencils, and notebooks when we have so many great digital tools... but that's the point. Perhaps those digital tools are sometimes more of a distraction than a help. I've asked Dr. Don Sanders to share his passion and knowledge for analog writing tools. He is the Director of the Merold Institute of Ministry at Harvester Christian Church in St. Charles, Missouri. He is also a college adjunct professor, an avid U2 fan, and happens to be my older brother. You can connect with Don at The Merold Institute of Ministry, on Facebook, or on LinkedIn. ***   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

As writers, we are constantly dreaming about what’s next. The next book. The next conference. The next interview. The next connection. The next source of income. The next five years. All you have is today, this moment, right here and now. Don’t keep your head so far in the clouds that you forget to keep your feet planted on the ground. On this episode, you’ll be inspired to be grateful for this present moment. *** 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    

On this brief episode, Kent shares an important update about the next few weeks’ worth of episodes. We will return with new episodes on Monday, January 3rd! ***   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 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.com/kentsanders  

Have you ever held up an hourglass and looked it closely? From a distance, the sand looks as though it was one single element that can snake through the bottleneck between the top and bottom of the hourglass. But upon closer inspection, you can see that it’s just thousands and thousands of tiny grains. On this episode, you’ll be reminded that every day is a precious commodity that you can use to achieve your writing dreams. *** 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/ke

Have you ever noticed that some people have an opinion about literally everything? It’s not hard to find these people. They are all over social media, and probably within your workplace, social circle, or even your family. While it’s easy to point out how others are opinionated, it’s important to look at ourselves as well. How about you? Do you have an opinion about everything? On this episode, Kent teaches us that having an open perspective and being willing to learn help you become a better writer. *** 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     Faceb

Have you ever felt stuck by writer’s block? If so, you’re in good company. That’s exactly the state the members of the legendary rock group Guns N’ Roses found themselves in one day in 1987. They were recording songs for their album Appetite for Destruction and had been working on their song “Sweet Child O’ Mine.”  As he was listening to a loop of the demo, lead singer Axl Rose began singing “Where do we go now?” as a filler lyric. When you feel stuck in your writing and you’re asking yourself “Where do I go now?” … do what Axl did. He incorporated his question into his lyrics. On this episode, you’ll learn how to get unstuck when you encounter writer’s block. *** 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 c

One of the perennial questions writers ask is, “Where do you get good ideas?” It’s a fair question because all of us have struggled with finding good ones for our writing. The overriding feeling we have is that we need to do something more, or add some technique, in order to find great ideas. It’s not a matter of doing something more, it’s actually a matter of doing something less. On this episode, Kent shares how to orient your life so you can be in the mindset to have good ideas. *** 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://facebo

In the fiction-writing community, there are two terms thrown around quite a bit: plotters and pantsers. Plotters are writers who know the whole plot of the story before they start writing. Pantsers are those who write “by the seat of their pants” and prefer to start with a situation, then discover the plot as they write. On this episode, you’ll be reminded that part of the adventure of writing comes as you flesh out your ideas and write them down. *** 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: 

You’ve heard the saying “curiosity killed the cat.” The phrase has been around in some form or another for hundreds of years and is meant to be a warning to those who would investigate a matter too closely. Perhaps we take it a little too far. When have you ever heard of someone actually being damaged by being curious? There has been far more damage done to writers and artists by a lack of curiosity than by curiosity itself. On this episode, you’ll be encouraged that curiosity revitalizes 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 more!     Connect with Kent:     https://DailyWriterLife.com    

Everything in life is a choice. It’s up to you. It’s all your choice. We live in a beautiful time where anything is possible. Writers a hundred years ago would have done anything to get the opportunities we have. There are many ways to build a platform or business as an author. But if there is one thing you must do, it is taking action instead of feeling paralyzed by all the choices. On this episode, you’ll discover that one of the most important choices you can make is to take action. *** 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://fa

In the law-enforcement community, a person of interest is a phrase used to describe someone who may be involved in an ongoing investigation or connected with a crime, but they haven’t been formally accused of a crime. This person has created buzz and interest because of their actions. On this episode, you’ll learn how you can become a person of interest. *** 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     Twitte

I’m excited to feature a conversation from this past in the Daily Writer Community. My friend Lynn Smargis is a freelance writer in the area of health and fitness, gluten-free lifestyle, education, science, travel, and educational technology. She is also the host of the Gluten Free Travel Podcast. Every month, we feature two calls in the Daily Writer group from a guest expert, and Lynn was kind enough to walk us through how to repurpose your blog or podcast into a book. This is a vital skill to develop in order to reach many more people with material you’re already producing. You can learn more about Lynn and view her guide to repurposing your content below: Check out Lynn’s website. Connect with Lynn on LinkedIn. Learn more about Lynn’s content creation agency. Download Lynn’s presentation on how to repurpose your blog or podcast into a 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 Commu

When it comes to curiosity, most people don’t cross the streams. They keep their reservoirs of knowledge separate from one another. History, religion, arts, psychology, politics, technology … they keep them in their nice little boxes. The best creative ideas come from blending these areas--from the cross-pollination of interesting ideas. The only way to create new ideas is to cross your streams of knowledge and experience. This is why as a writer you must read in different genres and categories. You must talk to people who are different than you. On this episode, you’ll find that one of the best ways to maximize your creativity is by adding to your experience and knowledge, and combining these ideas to create something new. *** 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