Writing is a solitary occupation. It's hard to concentrate on getting words on paper among the hubbub of ordinary life. But even as I complain about the hubbub, I know that it's the source of anything useful I have to say. Anything creative, helpful, thought-provoking, or entertaining comes from the daily activities of acting, planning, conversing, listening, negotiating, and trying to be understood. Writers need both the calm and the hubbub. Steven Pressfield writes about this need for … [Read more...]

For an independent author, it's the best of times and the worst of times. Best because your opportunities are unlimited. Worst because with those opportunities come the responsibility to persuade the world to hear you. It may seem to be a choice between writing books and marketing them. If your book doesn't reach its audience, why write it? And if marketing leaves no time to write, why market? It's dilemma that makes some authors crazy. It may not be possible to "have it all," but … [Read more...]