Learning to Write

What happens when a lawyer, a judge, and a humorist sit down for a podcast?

You get my interview with author Lori B. Duff.

Lori lives outside Atlanta, Georgia, where she's built a local following through her humorous blogs on family life. Whether it's her husband, her kids, her neighbors or herself, Duff turns a keen observational eye on the often-overlooked humor in everyday life. Her four books, which she self-publishes and sells through Amazon, are compilations of her best columns and showcase her range as a writer.

During our interview, Duff shares her journey as a writer--how she began writing as a kid, but didn't really embrace the discipline until 2012, when she submitted her work to Sharon Swanepoel, managing editor of the Loganville, Georgia, Patch--a website that featured community writers. Once Duff's work went live, her readership took off as visitors to the site loved her honest and funny thoughts on life in our current age.

Since then, Duff has made it her goal to move from being a lawyer to being a writer--not just as a career, but also as an identity. She dives into that a little deeper during our discussion of her trip to the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop in Dayton, Ohio; Duff credits that workshop for not only helping her find her community, but inspiring her to embrace different aspects of herself--such as stand up comedy. Duff also discusses the benefits of being a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the various ways they've helped her continue her growth as a writer.

Duff also shares priceless insights into the process of self-publishing, urging writers to stick to what they're good at and ask for help with the rest. She provides some great suggestions on how--and where--to find the help a writer needs to create a good looking book for readers.

Duff blogs at her website, LoriDuffWrites, and you can follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. She thinks she's also on LinkedIn, but can't remember her profile information...

***Once again, I apologize for the horrible mic sound on my end. I'm going crazy trying to figure out the best configuration for recording.

Want to be a good writer?

Then learn to pay attention the world around you.

What you see. What you hear. How it makes you feel.

That's what this week's guest, Gladin Joseph, has learned over his writing journey. What you put on the page is result of what you capture through your experiences--what you allow yourself to take in before you pour words out.

Like some of our other guests, Gladin didn't start out with the ambition of becoming a writer. He wasn't an avid reader as a kid, though he did develop an early love of non-fiction books because he was curious to discover how the world around him worked. Over time, Gladin discovered his passion for art and creation, but he didn't consider writing to be among his tools. For him, writing was a necessary evil for work.

That changed over time, and as he shares in this episode, writing has become a vital form for his personal artistic expression. While he doesn't consider himself a master of the craft, he is a student, and what he shares in this episode about finding and accepting his voice, unleashing his most authentic self on the page, and learning to listen to the spoken and unspoken is vital for every writer.

But perhaps Gladin's most profound and timely thoughts centered around this simple idea: "Everything sounds the same if we're listening only for what we want to hear." During a week where everyone's voice is clamoring to be heard, Gladin's insights on how to listen well are food for the soul.

You can connect with Gladin on Instagram, where you can see photos of his beautiful family and incredibly inventive artwork, as well as Twitter. Be sure to give him a follow and encourage him to continue his work in the short story genre.

Off the top, let me just say I'm bummed at my mic's obvious audio issues. I apologize for the horrible sound, especially since this week's guest is my mentor, Charlie Wetzel.

If you've never heard of Charlie, then that's exactly the way he's wanted it for most of his career. The writing partner of New York Times Bestseller Dr. John C. Maxwell, Charlie has helped craft over 80 books that have sold over 31 million copies globally. Charlie is also a screenwriter, teacher, chef, and budding memoirist--all of which you'll hear about in this episode.

Charlie's writing journey is an interesting one because he didn't start out as a writer; in fact, he didn't think about writing as a career until in his adult years. He pursued life as a chef in New Orleans, as a college dean in California, and even had a very short stint as a car salesman. But it wasn't until he took a job as John Maxwell's research assistant in 1994 that writing became an option. And the story from that point forward is one you'll definitely want to hear.

Charlie's wisdom and insight are on full display in this episode, one of the rare occasions that he's consented to being interviewed. We cover everything from his essential lesson about writing to his experience as a solo author on his first book, The Marvel Studios Story, published by HarperCollins Leadership.

You can follow Charlie online through Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and I encourage you to do so--and then check in with him every other week to see how his memoir about his journey with food is progressing, or to see when he's going to finally self-publish his amazing novella, A Christmas Wish.

You can also learn more about his writing through his website, Wetzel and Wetzel, which he operates with his wife and editor, Stephanie.

Not every writer has published clips. Not every writer has sold a piece. Not every writer has earned a degree.

Writers are as diverse as the people who claim the title--and McKenzie Reeves is a writer. By day, she works for the Benj Miller Collective as a Business Manager and Content Development officer.

By night, she's still trying to figure out who she is as a writer.

But she's a writer, no question. She's known that since she was a child, when she would escape into books and stories as a way of coping with the world. That passion for words and how they can transport you never left her, so much so that after a difficult divorce that ended an abusive relationship, McKenzie chose to follow her passion for writing to Vermont for an MFA.

In this episode, you'll hear some of the lessons that McKenzie learned along her way to earning her MFA...some from the classroom, some from the school of experience. You'll hear how the MFA program wasn't what she thought it would be but it taught her that true writing--valuable writing--"is about me, but not about me." You'll hear how writing, "brings your experience, good and bad, forward so others can share it for themselves."

McKenzie discusses the vulnerability and honesty that good writing requires, and shares the secret for turning both into writing that not only connects with your audience, but compels them to action.

You'll love what she has to share, and you'll love connecting with her on Instagram, the only social media platform she uses. Trust me--she's worth the follow!

CALLING ALL WRITERS! See if you can answer these questions:

If you were sure how to answer those questions, then this episode is what you need -- you just don't know it yet.

Sam Horn, Founder and CEO of the Intrigue Agency, is on a mission to help people create quality communications that add value for all involved -- and she sat down with Jason Brooks to spend a little time to help aspiring and beginning writers by offering wisdom and insight from her extensive experience.

Sam's 3 TEDx talks and 9 books - including Washington Post bestseller Got Your Attention?, ConZentrate, POP! and What’s Holding You Back?- have been favorably reviewed in Publishers Weekly and Library Journal and endorsed by Seth Godin, Dr. Stephen Covey, Marshall Goldsmith and Dan Pink.

Sam is the originator of the trade-marked communication process called Tongue Fu!, which has been published in 17 languages and taught to schools, associations, government agencies, and corporations. Sam’s work has been featured on NPR, in the NY Times, Harvard Business Review (Ascend), Investors Business Daily andReaders Digest. She’s been interviewed on top-ranked podcasts including John Lee Dumas’ Entrepreneur on Fire and on every major network, including NBC’s Tonight Show and To Tell the Truth.

Sam has had the privilege of speaking to more than a half million people worldwide and for hundreds of organizations. Her specialty is helping people crystallize one-of-a-kind communications - books, brands, businesses, causes, campaigns, fund-raising pitches and high-stakes presentations - that scale their income and impact, for good.

Sound like someone you'd like to talk to? Then hit play and join us for more lessons on Learning to Write.

You can connect with Sam on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

He's been a trim carpenter, a salesman, and a college instructor, but the truth of the matter is that Jesse Barnett is a writer. Devoted husband to Becca and proud father to two amazing kids, Jesse joins Learning to Write so he can share how he discovered his gift for writing and honed that gift into a marketable skill.

From his work with John Maxwell, Michael Hyatt, and others, Jesse always brings his unique ability to inspire, encourage, entertain, instruct and uplift to every project because he understands that there's no telling what the reader will need. His passion is to entertain and help people find their way to live a better life, and that passion is reflected in his various projects with his clients as well as the Toolbox he's developed on his personal website.

Jesse's advice for writers is straightforward: "Some of the best writing is instinctual--it comes from deep within, so the sooner writers learn to trust themselves, the better their writing will become." You'll definitely want to hear him flesh out some of his other writing principles, and if you've ever entertained the idea of writing as a career, you'll want to hear his story and his insights on how to make that dream come true.

You can find Jesse on Twitter and Facebook, as well as at his website, BarnettWrites.com. Jesse also has a fantastic course to help anyone learn how to turn an interview into a powerful essay or book--it's called StoryScribr and you can learn more about it here.

This second episode features the very first guest on the Learning to Write podcast--singer/songwriter Jake Decker. In addition to his work in the music industry, Jake is also a published poet, a podcast producer, a woodworker, and all-around artist. With a Bachelor's degree in English and a lengthy history of touring as a musician, Jake brings a very thoughtful perspective to the craft of writing.

In this episode you'll hear how Jake got his start as a writer, a valuable piece of writing insight that he learned from his father, and Jake's lesson for all aspiring writers. This wide ranging conversation veers from practical to philosophical and back again, and it's an absolute joy to listen to.

You can find Jake on Instagram and Twitter under the handle @jakedeckermusic. You can also visit his website, jakedecker.com or follow him via his Patreon account at patreon.com/jakedeckermusic.

Welcome to the first episode of the Learning to Write Podcast! This show is for aspiring or beginning writers who are just beginning to learn the craft of writing. Each week, we'll feature a writer in a conversation that will help you not only learn about each writer, but from them as well.

Since this is a brand new podcast, it only makes sense that you get to know your host, professional writer Jason Brooks. The author of ten books, he currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Content and Publishing for The John Maxwell Enterprise. Jason has appeared in movies and television shows and serves as one of the co-hosts for The John Maxwell Leadership Podcast. He and his wife Rachel have been married for 19 years and have two children, Ella and Jon. Jason is currently working on his eleventh book, Learning to Write: A Memoir, Manifesto, and Guidebook for Aspiring Writers.