What principles make that happen if applied over a long enough period? — First of all, does wanting to be rich make you less creative? I work with a prolific creative — he has multiple (great) novels published, he works with incredible entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, and he has plenty of time to spend with his daughter. He uses his money, for the…

It’s not the book that needs to transform; you do. — It’s hard to believe that I started seriously writing eight years ago. Back then, I thought the hard thing was actually to write a book. From there, I figured, fame and fortune, here we come. How wrong I was. While the outcome I expected was elusive, the personality transformations resolving…

How I learned to become a writer that people remember—from the writer my clients wanted me to emulate — Yesterday morning my neighbor lit a fire in my alleyway. But, before we get to that, let’s rewind… On a call with a new client (taken from my kitchen table, near the alleyway), she says, “We like writing that feels real. Do you know Cole Shafer? …

What about the rest? — I speak to many writers — I know a lot of you wrote a book (or two), and it’s sitting on your computer. Why isn’t it a bestseller? Famously, George Lucas was reading Joseph Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces when he wrote Star Wars. He straight-up copied the “hero’s…

A new wave of meaningful masterpieces is upon us. — What age are we living in, anyway? It ain’t the modern age —defined by its blue-sky optimism about the coming technological utopia. And, the post-modern age is ending — a time of deconstruction and cynicism. Our coming age is an age of the Return of Meaning. This time, it’s found…

Each book you read interacts with every other book you’ve read. — Nobody reads. 23% of adults admit that they didn’t read a single book in the last year. How high do you reckon the actual number is? And, of the group who did read a book, how many more than one do you think they read? In contrast, successful people read…

Everyone is way too obsessed with left-brain writing tips. — Anorexia, like bad writing, is a problem of perception. People with the disease literally can’t see their bodies anymore — they see parts of their bodies. They see a layer of fat on their disembodied arm, for example. …

You haven’t heard this, but there’s no question about it. — Wolves have morals. They can’t explain their morals — but they definitely have them. For example, the leader eats first, they hunt in pairs, protect the pups, etc. If they were to evolve larger brains, as humans did over millions of years, they would develop myths about their rules: “Once…

5 much more practical steps to a creative life. — “One day, I’ll write the next great American novel, and I’ll be able to quit this job!” Sure, buddy. Why would you suddenly find great achievement in creativity — the hardest of all pursuits — if you can’t even master your sales job? The best way to work toward creative…