Hi Reader, This weekend I went with my sister to pick her new Lexus. Getting a new car is always a big deal and the Lexus dealership made it into a bigger deal. They had her car in its own showroom with a giant big bow on top. So fun! Who knew those big bows existed outside of TV commercials? This is stellar customer service. Lexus realized that getting a new car is worth celebrating and made it into an event. What does this have to do with writing life? A lot! As a writer, you don't just...
10 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Today I'm reminding you to stay curious, enthusiastic, and open because you never know when inspiration will strike. Sometimes the simplest things spark an idea. This past weekend at a family brunch, we got on the subject of everyone's favorite flavor of cobbler, which led to my brother introducing us to the song Peaches by the 90s band The Presidents of the United States of America. It's an entire song about how wonderful peaches are and how the singer dreams of moving to the...
17 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, An audio drama is like a TV show… but without the TV. (Think bingeable episodes, multiple actors, music, and sound effects that sweep your listeners away—no camera crew required!) It’s a ridiculously fun and wildly immersive storytelling format that doesn’t require you to win the lottery before producing. Why Write an Audio Drama? Because it’s awesome, yes. But also because: It’s cheaper and easier to make than film or TV. Want to showcase your story on a budget? Audio drama is...
24 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Make Money (and Magic!) with Magazine ArticlesBecause your brilliant words deserve more than a dusty hard drive. You already know I’m a big fan of turning one creative idea into multiple streams of income—hello, How to Turn Your Screenplay into a Novel! But here’s a format you may not have considered: writing articles for magazines. Yes, magazines! The glossy kind. The digital kind. The niche-local-weirdly-specific kind. All of them. Surprise! Print isn’t dead. In fact, there are...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Today’s newsletter is short because my writing day got superceded by an emergency room visit with a loved one. Sometimes life happens and you can’t make your commitments or goals. That’s okay. It is important to give ourselves grace when events out of our control impact our creative life. Next time you don’t meet a deadline because of an emergency, take a breath, set the next goal and keep going. Don’t let the unexpected derail you. Computers for Writers I got a new computer – a...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Inspired by the Fourth of July, let’s explore how American identity has shaped some of our most iconic fictional characters—and how you can use those archetypes (or subvert them!) in your own work. From noble heroes to scrappy rebels to underestimated underdogs, American storytelling leans hard into a particular brand of mythmaking. Here are a few of the most enduring archetypes in pop culture and how you can use, remix, or subvert them in your own work: The Idealistic Hero: Truth,...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Happy Independence Day! While we’re celebrating freedom, sparklers, and possibly overcooked hot dogs, I’d like to propose another kind of liberty worth toasting: The freedom to write terribly.Yes, you heard me. Awkward dialogue, clunky exposition, inconsistent characters, plot holes you could drive a truck through—bring it all on. First drafts are supposed to be messy.Not “kind of messy,” not “slightly unpolished.”I mean leaving your notebook open during a windstorm kind of messy....
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, It’s Saturday afternoon. The weather is fine. The to-do list is not. And I’m standing in my kitchen, eyeing a deceptively small box. Inside it? A flat-packed wine rack with approximately 347 tiny screws, a vaguely smug Allen wrench, and instructions that may or may not be translated from ancient runes. Now, for some people, assembling furniture is no big deal. They thrive on it. They hear “some assembly required” and smile like it’s game night. I am not one of those people....
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Part 2 Continued from last week’s excerpt of Becca Syme on the BookFunnel Podcast More from Becca Syme on how to strengthen your outlook to deal with industry disruption. You got this! The Wheel Keeps Spinning "But there are so many things that motivate us that we do not understand and know. We think we're in charge of so many more of our choices than we really are. Roughly only 5% of our choices are under our control on a daily basis. We think it's so much closer to 100. And so...
2 months ago • 4 min read