Hi 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. First drafts are supposed to be messy. So this July 4th, I invite you to celebrate your creative independence by giving yourself permission to write wildly, gloriously, unapologetically bad pages. Write the cliché. Miss the beat. Let your metaphors mix like red solo cups in a frat house. Because here’s the thing: This is your story. And you get to write it your way. Even if that way begins with a dumpster fire of a draft. So grab a sparkler and a pen. Wave them both around like you mean it. Go forth and make a mess. For my non-Texan friends here is an explanation of flash floods and my connection to the area and Camp Mystic. I felt I had to address the 4th of July tragedy in this resend. In Case You Missed ItI’m on Peak Potential with Alec Mountain – The Pitch Master’s Playbook: How Lindsey Hughes Helps Creators Tell Stories that Stick! Listen or watch! Cheers, Lindsey Thanks for reading! You can share this article here. Was this week's newsletter useful? Help me to improve! Click on a link to vote: 👍Super! - 😐 Meh - 👎 Not my jam |
Hi, I’m Lindsey. I love helping people discover their superpower, create compelling content, and feel excited about pitching and networking. I teach people how to pitch like a boss, network like a VIP, and write like an Oscar winner. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for actionable creativity and career tips.
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...
Hi Reader, Today’s newsletter is short because my writing day got superceded by an emergency room visit with a loved one.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...
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,...