20 hours agoMember-onlyDo the hard thing: Enjoy your success.On watching a story of mine debut at Sundance, and thinking about Neil Gaiman. Week-by-week readers know that last week I was at Sundance, watching a film adaptation of a story I wrote. There was so much I could think about: Which celebrities will I see? And how will I…Writing3 min readWriting3 min read
Jan 19Member-only“Do More Than Your Best. Do What is Required.”A project fell through that I needed financially, so I’m scrambling right now. Every freelance writer reading this knows the feeling: I’m not good enough. Is it always going to be this hard? Hell, many staff writers have similar feelings when a big story collapses. Will I find another one…Self Improvement3 min readSelf Improvement3 min read
Jan 9Member-onlyThe ONE goal you should haveIt’s also the ONLY goal you should have as a writer. So let’s start by saying something bold: The lesson of Barnes & Noble is the lesson for every writer. The jazz critic and music historian Ted Gioia has a great piece on Barnes & Noble. It’s expanding. In 2023. …Self Improvement2 min readSelf Improvement2 min read
Dec 2, 2022Member-onlyTo overcome your doubt, learn to sit alongside itWhat if I fail? What if I have modest success but never write for dream publications? What if I write for dream publications but never quiet the inner voice that says I’m inadequate? I’ve posed these questions. Maybe you have too. How do you stop them? Well, I’m not sure…Writing3 min readWriting3 min read
Oct 5, 2022Member-only“Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be”How to write and how to live. This quote comes from Steven Pressfield, the historical novelist who has a new book out: Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be. It’s another way to say what Emerson has before him: “God will not have his work made manifest by…Writing3 min readWriting3 min read
Sep 19, 2022Member-onlyHow to turn your pain and fear and joy and triumphs into viral stories.On Medium and any other platform. Everything I read and consumed in this week fit into one theme: How everything is useful for you, fuel for. So let’s talk about that. In particular let’s talk about how: You Will Use It All. I found this idea in Stephen King’s On Writing, which I read this…Writing Tips4 min readWriting Tips4 min read
Sep 13, 2022Member-onlyThe Best Career Advice You’ll ReadOne book has transformed how I think about what I do—and why A friend of mine, for my birthday, got me Warren Bennis’ classic On Becoming a Leader. I thanked him for the book but it sat on Mount Nightstand for five months. …Self Improvement3 min readSelf Improvement3 min read
Aug 31, 2022Member-onlySay no to THEM to say Yes to YOURSELF.The less you do creatively, the more you do. I’m taking it easy today. And because I’m taking it easy let’s talk about one of my favorite movies, which has at its core a very easy-living message that you and I find super-hard to live by. I love Forgetting Sarah…Writing4 min readWriting4 min read
Aug 30, 2022Member-onlyYour Fame Won’t Matter. Here’s What to Think About Instead.Judd Apatow has a good line in his latest book, Sicker in the Head. There’s a feeling that you get when you get older, where you realize, like, kids don’t remember M*A*S*H. They don’t remember Cheers or Family Ties. And pretty soon, they won’t remember Friends. You feel everything is…Self Improvement2 min readSelf Improvement2 min read
Aug 22, 2022Member-onlyThe Best Path to Productivity? Work Less.How idleness can dramatically increase output for creative types. Maybe because it’s August, or maybe because I’m reporting a magazine piece around the idea, but these days I’m thinking a lot about idleness. I come from its opposite. I come from a long line of farmers who lived the Protestant…Writing4 min readWriting4 min read