The Daily Writer

Countless people have been inspired by Zig Ziglar’s famous quote, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.”

We can easily see how this applies to people in sales, marketing, or other business-related positions. But how does this apply to writers?

Here’s a simple principle to remember: Writing is not about the words. It’s about the people who are affected by your words.

On this episode, you'll learn why it's vital to infuse hope into all your writing.

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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.

Follow Kent Sanders:

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We writers often talk about the reasons we write. But what are the reasons we don’t write? What keeps us from writing?

The novelist Erica Jong hit the nail on the head when she said, “I went for years not finishing anything. Because, of course, when you finish something you can be judged.”

On this episode, you'll learn why you don't need to fear judgment.

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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.

Follow Kent Sanders:

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People write for many reasons. Some do it for money. Others do it for fame. Still others do it to teach or inspire.

No matter why you write, there is a common element that ties all writers together. We are all on a journey of discovery.

We don’t just write to express what we think. We write in order to discover what we think.

On this episode, you'll learn why it's important to reflect on your life theme--or golden thread--that ties all of your work together.

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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.

Follow Kent Sanders:

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders 

Here is one of the biggest ironies of the modern world. We have more facts and data than ever before, literally right at our fingertips.

However, the truth seems more elusive than ever.

Jesus said, “The truth will set you free.” That’s not only true in a spiritual sense, but in a creative sense as well.

No matter what type of writing we do, whether fiction or non-fiction, our objective as writers should always be the pursuit of truth.

On this episode, Kent reflects on three types of truth we should pursue as writers.

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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.

Follow Kent Sanders:

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On today's episode, we talk about the benefits of having a neat, clean work environment as well as 5 steps to decluttering your workspace:

1. Deal with one area at a time.
2. Get rid of things you don’t really need.
3. Free up the real estate on your desk.
4. Get rid of as much paper as possible.
5. Don’t confuse “clean” with “perfect.”

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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.

Follow Kent Sanders:

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Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders 

When you hear the term "creative writing," what comes to mind?

If you're like most people, you probably think of fiction-based writing like novels, screenplays, and short stories. But did you know that the concept of creative writing also applies to a wide array of nonfiction formats as well?

I'm very excited to have a guest on this episode who is here to help us improve our creative writing skills, particularly with nonfiction. His name is Christopher Johnston, and he has published more than 3,500 articles in publications including American Theatre, Christian Science Monitor, History Magazine and Scientific American.

His book, Shattering Silences: Strategies to Prevent Sexual Assault, Heal Survivors, and Bring Assailants to Justice was published in May 2018.

Christopher also wrote The Way I Saw It, the memoirs of the late Marc Wyse, co-founder of Wyse Advertising, which was published in 2013.

Christopher is currently writing a biography of industrialist Frederick C. Crawford, founding chairman of TRW, Inc. He teaches playwriting and creative nonfiction workshop courses at Cleveland State University and writing workshops in a number of places. He is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

Christopher shares his background as a journalist, some phenomenal tips for opening and closing an article, and how to adapt your work in one format to another format.

Resources:

Chrisopher's website

Christopher on Twitter

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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.

Connect with Kent:

https://DailyWriterLife.com

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LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kent-sanders

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders 

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.

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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.

Follow Kent Sanders:

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Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders 

Writing is by definition a lonely task. Yes, we have editors, beta readers, graphic designers and others who help polish and perfect our work. But unless you are working with a co-writer, your writing starts with you and your ideas.

A great way to stay motivated is to remember that you are always writing for someone. Now, hopefully more than one person will read your work—hopefully hundreds or even many thousands!

But it helps to focus on one specific person when you are writing. This is your Ideal Reader, also sometimes called an avatar.

On this episode, you'll learn how to determine the Ideal Reader for your writing project.

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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.

Follow Kent Sanders:

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Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders 

We live in a culture that celebrates brilliance. Everywhere you look, people worship the best and the brightest among us.

The internet, magazines, movies, social media ... they are obsessed with people who seem to have it all.

It’s hard to feel motivated when you compare your own first draft to the latest million-selling book by a celebrity author. It seems like such a deep chasm between you and them. How can you ever cross it?

On this episode, you'll learn about a quality that is more important than brilliance.

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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.

Follow Kent Sanders:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders 

The history of writing is replete with stories about authors who were rejected, but kept trying until they found success.

Here’s just one example. A number of years ago, an aspiring author decided he wanted to write a book about the key personal decisions that determine personal success. Except he didn’t want to write it in traditional non-fiction format. Instead, he wanted to teach the concepts in the form of a story.

He spent a year writing the book, then proceeded to submit it to a publisher. It was rejected, so he moved onto the next one. Rejected again.

The author tried a third and fourth time. Still more rejection. Pretty soon, he worked his way up to a dozen rejections. Still no dice.

On this episode, you'll learn why it's vital to keep on going in spite of obstacles.

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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.

Follow Kent Sanders:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/kent.sanders

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kentsanders

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kentsanders