When You’re Just a Little Stitious
Like Michael Scott from The Office, I’m not superstitious, but I am a little “stitious.” I don’t open umbrellas inside. I throw spilled salt over my left shoulder. I don’t walk under ladders. And I never say, “It’s going to be a calm week.” Because that’s when you know it will most definitely not be […]
From The Publisher: The Product of Perseverance
When it comes down to a hero’s journey, the one thing that makes the story compelling is their ability to overcome the obstacle. What odds did they beat? What was previously insurmountable that they have now conquered? And, more importantly, how did they achieve success? Grit. Determination. Stick-to-it-ness. The answer, more often than not, comes […]
Drowning in a Sea of Distractions
Like many creatives, I suffer from a terminal case of bright shiny object syndrome. I see ideas everywhere, and run after them like a puppy chasing a ball, leaving old ones by the wayside. I’ve also developed the terrible habit of stopping (too) often to check email, social media notifications, or reply to text messages. […]
Conference Musings (Almost) Post-Pandemic
Chelle Honiker Let me introduce the non-Texan readers to a new word. WhooBuddy. It’s what we say when we’re trying to describe the indescribable. It’s just days after the 20Booksto50k® conference in Las Vegas, and the post-con letdown is real. In the (almost) post-Covid world it felt surreal to see friends and colleagues from around […]
Breaking Up (With Software) is Hard to Do… And Expensive Too.
Chelle Honiker You could safely call me a digital hoarder. If there were a show about nerds who download and play with apps and find obscure programs to solve problems (that probably don’t really need solving) with technology, I would be its poster child. I am obsessed with trying new things. Two of my favorite […]
From The Publisher: Graciously Critical
How To Look Back To Move Ahead When I was sixteen years old and had recently experienced my first real romantic heartbreak, my stepmother gave me a greeting card from illustrator Mary Englebreit which read, “Don’t look back, you’re not going that way.” That beloved card found a home everywhere I’ve lived. The message resonated […]
Explorers and Tour Guides
In over two decades of entrepreneurship, there hasn’t been a single successful person I’ve known, followed, or interviewed that hasn’t admitted to doubting themselves at some point. Call it what you will. I’ve distilled the many names I’ve used over the years down to ‘imposter syndrome’, ‘existential crisis’, and ‘plain old doubt’. It’s the voice […]
Get Over Yourself and Get Some Help
One September about a decade ago, I learned of National Novel Writing Month, commonly known as NaNoWriMo. Many of us have attempted to write 50,000 words in a month during that challenge, and it remains a popular and useful event. When I finally “won” after several failed attempts, I was thrilled, and more than a […]
Plans, Pivots, and Laughter
Depending on several factors, the saying “Man Plans, God Laughs” might be familiar to you as a Yiddish Proverb, a quote from author Michael Chabon, or the name of a Public Enemy Album. I’m firmly team third camp. However you know this witticism, its truth remains. The best laid plans are often waylaid by events […]
Done is Better than Perfect
Done is better than perfect. Just finish the thing. You can’t edit a blank page. All great advice for writers when they’re in the middle of the first draft slog. Keep going. But what happens when the words literally won’t come? When the muse won’t show up? Common advice for when you\’ve got writer\’s block […]