Would you like to write an allegory? An allegory is basically a story that reveals a hidden meaning or moral. One great example is *The Alchemist* by Paulo Coelho. An allegory is necessarily as long as a novel, but it should leave the reader with an understanding of a key concept or idea. An allegory is a little like self-help, except in the vein of a story. Jordan Gross is author of the allegory The Journey to Cloud Nine and a TEDx speaker. He's also a prolific non-fiction Medium writer . In th...
Apr 29, 2020•34 min
What is HitRecord? HitRecord is a creative platform where writers can collaborate with illustrators, graphic designers other creatives across disciplines on short films, animations, scripts and more. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Jared Geller founded the company in 2004. It claims over 900,000 users and employs 40 people in Los Angeles. I recently interviewed Jared and in this interview, he explains: How writers can use a platform like HitRecord Why every creative project needs a leader What it takes...
Apr 22, 2020•25 min
Will it make our boat go faster? That's a question Great Britain's 2000 Olympic rowing team asked itself every day prior to winning gold in Australia. For a writer, your boat might represent writing a memoir and publishing it, landing a new client or launching a course. So when faced with a decision about to do more or less of, frame it around the boat question. This is an idea Irishman Brian Pennie speaks about regularly. The author of Bonus Time, Pennie is also a PhD student of neuroscience, l...
Apr 15, 2020•31 min
Do you want to go from blog to book? Nina Amir is the author of titles like *How to Blog a Book* and *The Author Training Manual*. Amir coaches clients and students through this iterative creative process. Formerly a journalist like me, Amir has been blogging since 2006 and runs not one but four different sites including Write Nonfiction Now! , How to Blog a Book . In this interview, Nina explains: How to go from blog to book Why bloggers have all they need to become nonfiction authors What to d...
Apr 08, 2020•32 min
During the early 2000s, Canadian-lawyer Jon Dykstra faced a unique challenge. His employer wanted him to attract more clients through blogging and content marketing. So, Dykstra began writing about legal topics that interested clients, based on their search queries. Today, he regularly earns over $40,000 a month from online publishing. In this interview, Jon explains: What is a niche website and why they're so profitable Why niche sites are ideal business opportunities for writers Where to get n...
Apr 01, 2020•30 min
COVID-19 is an unprecedented and worrying event. The closet comparison is the 1918 Spanish flu. I'm handling this crisis in a several different ways. Apart from following advice to wash my hands my frequently and practice social distancing, I've started meditating for twenty minutes twice a day. It helps me decompress after reading or listening to bleak news updates. It can also help with finding more creative ideas and mastering the art of focus. If you want to get started, check out... How to ...
Mar 26, 2020•11 min
Are you looking for profitable side hustle ideas? It’s not a good idea to depend on one income source. If you’re working a fulltime job, you could lose it and find yourself scrambling to pay the bills. That happened to me back in 2008 when I was a freelance journalist dependent on one client. It happened again in 2012 when a charity I was working for let me go. Even if you don’t depend on your employer, profitable creatives avoid trading all their time for money. They create assets that help the...
Mar 25, 2020•24 min
The biggest and most successful personal brands put their audiences first every time. And they get paid well for doing it. That applies to writers too. In this short episode, I explain how to get personal branding right. Attention writers Masterclass is one of my the best places to learn from creative writers and entrepreneurs today, including the likes of Neil Gaiman and David Lynch. If you want to claim a free book from a Masterclass instructor, read this Masterclass review . Support the show ...
Mar 11, 2020•8 min
Do you have a business disaster recovery plan? Florida Keys-based ceramicist and painter Sally Binard’s home and livelihood were destroyed by Hurricane Irma in September 2017. With her studio and home in ruins, Sally had to start rebuilding her creative business. Her experiences reveal how many creative people can get ready for the worst... and rebuild after it's over. In this interview, we cover: How advice from Jack White changed Binard's art Why creative entrepreneurs can achieve more with le...
Mar 04, 2020•24 min
Let's say goodbye to the myth of the starving artist. Every writer and creative professional deserves to get paid... and there's no reason why you can't. In this week's mini-episode, I cover 5 great ways writers can get paid for their hard creative work, list the pros and cons and offer some ways to get started faster. Resources from the episode AWAI.com How to Write a Book Where to Find Writing Jobs The Best Online Writing Courses Support the show If you enjoyed the show please leave a review o...
Feb 26, 2020•11 min
What was the first children's book you ever read? Mine was The BFG by Roald Dahl. Thinking of that book could help you tell better stories and even connect with readers today. That's an approach branding consultant and children's book author Leah Komaiko recommends. In this interview, Leah explains: How she got started writing children's books Why the first children's book you ever read is so important What effective copywriting looks and sounds like Why I (and you) should re-read the first chil...
Feb 19, 2020•34 min
Being able to earn money from your writing is an amazing feeling! I'm sure we all wish that earning an income as a writer was as simple as writing something, thousands of people seeing it, and then money is deposited into your bank account. Unfortunately, earning a good living as a writer online today isn't that simple. When you’re first starting out as a writer, everything is smooth sailing you can focus all of your energy just on writing. You’re having a great time, but you’re probably not ear...
Feb 06, 2020•11 min
The internet is a noisy place for writers. If you want to build a relationship with readers and earn more from your creative work, consider starting a newsletter. Substack is an example of a popular service that you can try. I recently interviewed co-founder and COO Hamish McKenzie. In this interview, he explains: Why newsletters are a great way of earning more money as w writer Why your first newsletter starts with an ideal reader How to build a relationship with readers and fans What it takes ...
Jan 29, 2020•26 min
January is one of my favourite times of the year. Much like a blank page, it's a fresh start rich with possibility. A key part of any new year involves putting the past to one side. The best way to do that is by writing an annual review, a practice I follow every year. In this annual review podcast and article, I'll explain what I did and wrote during 2019. I'll also cover what did and didn't work. Strap in. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/becomeawritertoday/message Support the sh...
Jan 27, 2020•23 min
Malaysian-Indian entrepreneur Vishen Lakhiani is writing three books at once and is the founder of Mindvalley (Mindvalley.com), a personal development online education company. He's also the author of New York Times best-seller The Code of the Extraordinary Mind and is about to publish a new book The Buddha and the Badass. He explains: Why he's writing 3, yes 3, books at once How meditation helps him become more productive and creative Why typical approaches to setting goals don't work How he fi...
Jan 22, 2020•32 min
168 hours. Every writer, no matter what stage they're at in their careers, gets the same amount of time each week to waste or spend. So how can you accomplish more with what you have? Nir Eyal is the author of Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. He's also an angel investor, productivity consultant, and former university lecturer. He explains: How time-boxing and constraints can help writers become more productive Why he spent five years writing Indistractable The ...
Jan 15, 2020•31 min
Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant co-founded Sterling & Stone and the authors of a touchstone non-fiction book Write. Publish. Repeat. They've just released the follow up to that book The Fiction Formula and are co-hosts of the Story Studio podcast. In this interview, Johnny and Sean explain: Why they stopped creating courses and hosting in-person events for authors How they're going to publish 150 books in 2020 (yes, 150!) What it takes to generate thousands of dollars a month in revenue each...
Jan 08, 2020•44 min
Dr. Megan Jones is chief science officer at Headspace, the company behind the popular meditation app of the same name. Meditation offers several benefits for entrepreneurs, leaders and creatives. In this interview, she explains: How meditation enables creative thinking How to get started meditating even if you have no time What happens when you practice for just three weeks The type of meditation creatives should start with And lots more. I started by asking to explain how meditation can help so...
Jan 01, 2020•24 min
Do you want to become a more creative writer? Dr. Roger Firestien is a creativity consultant and senior faculty member at the Internal Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State College in the United States. He's also the author of Create In A Flash: A Leader's Recipe for Breakthrough Innovation. In this interview, Roger explains: How creativity works for writers Why it's important to force connections between different ideas What do to when you feel blocked and uninspired What his writin...
Dec 25, 2019•38 min
What does it take to become a great leader? There are many great books on this topic. One book I read recently is Outward Bound Lessons to Live a Life of Leadership by Mark Brown. From Ohio, Brown has worked with the learning and leadership organization Outward Bound for over twenty years and has served as a transformational coach in many industries. In this podcast episode, he explains: Why he wrote a book about leadership How to apply the 70/20/10 leadership model Why interviewing other leader...
Dec 18, 2019•33 min
You don't have to write a novel or a 60,000-word magnum opus to become an author. Successful recipe books can earn authors a healthy paycheque and build a brand in a way that's just not possible through other forms of media. Sean McCormack is the head vet for Tails , a pet food company that provides personalised dog food in the United Kingdom and France. He's also the co-author of The Happy Dog CookBook, a recipe book for dogs. In this interview McCormack explains: Why he co-wrote a recipe book ...
Dec 11, 2019•24 min
One of my goals on Become a Writer Today is to help you earn more money from writing. Creating courses and offering coaching is a great way of getting paid. You can easily turn a non-fiction book into a course. Selling courses and coaching packages is a little bit trickier though. Believe me, I've made a lot of mistakes! Many writers feel uncomfortable with asking for the sale. I know I did when I first started selling courses online. Laura Philips is a British entrepreneur who runs Love to Laun...
Dec 04, 2019•30 min
PaperTrue provides copyediting and proofreading services to writers, entrepreneurs and academics. Based in India, the company employs over 100 editors and works with writers, academics, entrepreneurs and executives around the world. In this interview, CEO Neha Vaidya explains: Why every writer should work with an editor How to prepare your story, screenplay or book for an editor How much editing and proofreading costs What to expect from your editor And lots more I started by asking Neha to expl...
Nov 27, 2019•27 min
Michal Korzonek is the co-founder of Journal Smarter . Living in the UK with his partner and co-founder Silvia Barros, he teaches clients and students how to use journaling for cultivating habits and focusing on their goals. In this interview, he explains: How writers and creatives can use journaling to find more ideas How to cultivate a journaling habit if you don't have one The tools he uses...and why analogue is sometimes best How journaling encourages creative and clear thinking Further read...
Nov 21, 2019•28 min
Daniel Bordovsky is a Czech-born independent musician and composer. His instrumental music has been featured in over 2,000 projects including the US National Parks project. He also recently collaborated with entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk. This year, Bordovsky is on track to earn over $300,000, up from $50,000 when he began working independently two years ago. Although not a writer, in the traditional sense, his approach to creative work should inform anyone who wants to earn a living from stories...
Nov 14, 2019•25 min
Joshua Jay is an award-winning magician and the author of popular books like several popular books including Magic: The Complete Course. He's also the founder of Vanishing Inc. one the largest magic retailers in the United States. I recently caught up with Jay, and in this interview, he explains: How writing and publishing books helped grow his business The role of suspense and surprise in any creative work How he balances business and creative projects Why we should prepare for the next recessi...
Nov 07, 2019•26 min
How can you unlock creative thinking? What would it take to think like Leonardo da Vinci? One man with answers to those questions is New York Time best-selling author Michael Gelb . Michael is the author of over a dozen books about creativity, innovation and leadership, including the best-seller How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci . His latest book is called The Healing Organization: Awakening the Conscience of Business to Help Save the World . Prior to its release, I caught up with Michael. In ...
Oct 31, 2019•32 min
Louise Dean is a British novelist, the author of four published works including Becoming Strangers, This Human Season, The Idea of Love and The Old Romantic. Becoming Strangers was long-listed for the Man Booker prize while The Old Romanic was an Oprah book of the week. Dean also teaches aspiring novelist how to write fiction and secure book deals via the Novelry . In this interview, she explains: The one skill every writer must learn (this applies to fiction and non-fiction) Why 90 days is the ...
Oct 24, 2019•27 min
Pascal Gambardella, who holds a PhD, is an author and lecturer specialising in creative thinking. Over the years, he has taught students how to become more prolific and how to overcome problems like writer's block. In this interview, Pascal explains: How he encourages prolific writing The questions you should ask yourself at the start of any writing project Why every writer should trigger a creative state and how to do it What his writing routine looks like And lots more Resources How to Write a...
Oct 17, 2019•23 min
Timothy Sykes is a blogger, a millionaire day trader, teacher and now philanthropist through his charity Karmagawa . Sykes teaches students how to trade penny stocks. He has built a business around his controversial approach using blogging, content and social media marketing. Sykes is also the author of An American Hedge Fund: How I Made $2 Million as a Stock Operator & Created a Hedge Fund . In this interview, Sykes explains: How he uses content marketing to build his business and promote h...
Oct 10, 2019•27 min
