Posted on

We’re in the Company of Our Ancestors

I’m writing this post on Thanksgiving Day from Kauai, Hawaii. I’ve been here for two days but still have to double-check the spelling every time I key it. Using that many vowels doesn’t come naturally for me.

The resort I’m staying in is a slice of paradise–much as you would expect. I have yet to see an ugly part of this island that is referred to as the “Garden Island” for its lush greenery. Even if you haven’t visited, you’ve likely seen it in movies like Jurassic Park or the opening waterfall scene of the cult classic TV show Fantasy Island (the original, not these try-hard remakes).

Within a stone’s through of my balcony is a dense clump of tropical beauty, a tangle of bougainvillea, feathery evergreens, sea plums, and the like. It gives visual interest to the rolling green expanse and the ribbon of winding concrete trails through the resort.

But the most interesting thing about the plant clusters are the signs erected in front of them.

It struck me as both surprising and strangely grounding. In places like Florida, development often means quietly relocating human remains. Here, the resort was built around them.

Maybe it’s not what we’d call a peaceful resting place, but what can you do when the living and the dead want an ocean view?

I’m not making light of it. If anything, it reminded me how often we live in the shadows — or the company — of those who came before us. Our ancestors shape more of who we are than we tend to acknowledge. Some traits are rooted in DNA, not upbringing. Whether you lean introverted or extroverted, for example, has more to do with inheritance than environment.

James Clear referenced several of these patterns in Atomic Habits, and many surprised me:

  • How many hours you tend to spend watching television
  • Your likelihood to marry or divorce
  • Your tendency to get addicted to drugs, alcohol, or nicotine
  • How obedient or rebellious you are when facing authority
  • How vulnerable or resistant you are to stressful events
  • How proactive or reactive you tend to be
  • How captivated or bored you feel during sensory experiences (like attending a concert)

And then there are the parts shaped by nurture: what we value, what we fear, what we define as success. These influences don’t control us, but they do set a frame — a kind of narrative scaffolding — we either accept or work hard to dismantle.

Which is why, when we tell our own story, we’re also telling the story of our ancestors. Their decisions, struggles, triumphs, and limitations course through us.

They show up in our choices, our emotional reflexes, and the biases we carry into adulthood.

Most of us don’t live on land where our ancestors are buried. But they’re present nonetheless.

They are the hidden ingredients in what it was that made us. They are the herbs you can’t quite taste but differentiates our recipe from another.

Bringing that awareness into a memoir or book can be the difference between a good story and a great one. When we work together, part of our process is uncovering those quiet influences — the inherited threads that shape the arc of a life.

If you’re ready to explore the deeper layers of your story, I’d be honored to help you shape them into something lasting.

Book some time today and we can talk about it.

Aloha.

Posted on

How to Turn a Big Idea Into Publishable Insight

You’re excited. You’re finally ready to write that book. But before you do, let’s break down if your big idea has any “publishable” insight to make it a real success story.

Most people don’t struggle with ideas.

They struggle with focus.

They want to tell their story but they gush it like a drunk friend, meandering around and not getting to the point for hours.

That’s no way to win a big publishing contract.

If you’re a leader, founder, or survivor of something hard, you probably carry a dozen book-worthy concepts around in your head.

Do any of these sound like you?

I want to write about resilience.

I have a new way of thinking about leadership.

I’ve learned so much from my business journey. It could help people.

Those are important seeds. But they’re not yet what an agent, editor, or reader is looking for.

The gap between a “big idea” and a “publishable insight” is where a lot of manuscripts stall, fizzle, or never quite land.

Let’s close that gap.

Big Idea vs. Publishable Insight

A big idea is expansive. It sounds like:

  • “Leadership needs to change.”
  • “Stories matter in business.”
  • “We don’t talk about grief honestly enough.”

It’s true, meaningful, and probably connected to years of experience but it’s huge. It’s a Great Lake of content. It’s vast and it may be deep, but it’s also too much of those things.

A “publishable insight” is narrower and sharper.

It sounds like:

  • “Most leaders try to inspire with strategy decks. The ones people remember inspire with one defining story.”
  • “Most leaders communicate in bullet points. The ones who stick in people’s minds communicate in moments and images.”
  • “We don’t heal from grief by ‘moving on.’ We heal by finding a story we can live with.”

See the difference?

A big idea is a cloud.

A publishable insight is a beam of light shining through that cloud and hitting one specific thing.

Publishable writing is built around beams, not clouds. You want someone to be able to sum up the general concept of your book and the highlights. You want them to recognize the differentiator so they can connect with it.

If you’ve ever used a magnifying glass to start a fire, you know that the beam of light has to be concentrated to start the blaze and you get there by holding the glass close to the pavement. Holding the magnifying glass far away does nothing to create that sizzle.

So how do you get to that concentrated moment of fire?

This is how I walk my clients through it.

Step 1: Start with the Reader’s Moment, Not Your Concept

When your idea is big, it’s tempting to start at 30,000 feet.

Instead, start here:

“Where is my reader sitting when this idea actually matters?”

Are they:

  • Staring at a blank slide the night before a board meeting?
  • Holding a resignation letter they’re not sure they should send?
  • Sitting in a quiet house after a diagnosis, wondering what happens next?

A big idea becomes publishable the moment it meets a specific moment of need.

Ask yourself:

1. What is my reader trying to do that isn’t working?

2. What belief or assumption is keeping them stuck?

3. What is the one shift in perspective I can offer that would change their next decision?

Your answer to #3 is the seed of a publishable insight.

Step 2: Articulate Your “for who / so that” Sentence

If your idea can’t survive a single, clear sentence, it won’t survive a proposal, let alone a book.

Use this simple test:

“This is a book/article about X for Y so they can Z.”

Examples:

  • “This is a book about storytelling as a leadership tool for founders and executives so they can earn trust and move people to act without burning them out.”
  • “This is an article about failure for mid-career leaders so they can turn a public setback into a credible story instead of a quiet shame.”
  • “This is a memoir about caregiving for adult children of aging parents so they can feel less alone and make decisions without constant guilt.”

I often hear, “My story is for everyone.”

Is it?

Is it for sports fanatics? Grieving parents? Middle-schoolers? People working in a factory in a town where the factory is the biggest employer and they just announced a shutdown?

Could all of those people enjoy your book? Sure, especially if you’re funny and they need a laugh or an escape.

But there are probably a few groups of people out there that once they read the subtitle or book jacket, they immediately look for the way to hand you their money.

We want those people. And once we know who they are, we’re going to write specifically for them.

If you can’t fill in those blanks with specifics yet, your idea is still in “cloud” form.

Stay with the concept until it feels almost too specific. That’s where traction lives.

Step 3: Find the Question Your Book Is Really Answering

Big ideas like to stay declarative:

  • “Stories matter.”
  • “Mindset matters.”
  • “Resilience matters.”

Publishable insights answer a question your reader is already asking, often quietly.

Try reframing your idea as a question:

  • “How do I lead people through change when I’m not sure I believe the vision yet myself?”
  • “How do I tell my story without oversharing or sounding self-centered?”
  • “How do I turn what happened to me into something useful for other people?”

Once you have the core question, your structure becomes much clearer:

Your chapters or sections are the honest attempts at answering it.

Your stories are proof that your answers have been lived, not just theorized.

Your insights are the hooks readers underline, repeat, and share.

No clear question? The writing will wander.

A well-shaped question is a quiet contract with your reader: If you give me your attention, I’ll help you explore this.

Step 4: Choose One Transformation, Not Ten

Here’s another place books lose their publishable shape: trying to change everything. I made this mistake as a newbie non-fiction writer years ago. I had so much I wanted to convey my writing was like a firehose of information. That would’ve been fine for a hermit living alone on a mountain with no other distractions and only my writing to read it. Perfect for someone who could digest everything I wrote and give each concept the time it required. But that’s not how people live these days.

If you want them to remember your message, you need to distill it in the simplest ways.

Ask yourself:

“If my reader finishes this piece and only one thing changes, what is it?”

Maybe:

  • They stop hiding behind data and share one honest story.
  • They reframe their “failure” as a turning point instead of a dead end.
  • They see their lived experience as expertise, not a side note.

That’s your transformation.

Now reality-check it by asking yourself:

  • Can I illustrate this shift with 3–7 strong stories or examples?
  • Can I explain it in a way that doesn’t require my reader to reinvent their whole life?
  • Does this transformation tie directly back to my “for who / so that” sentence?

When you focus on one core transformation, your big idea stops being a lecture and becomes a journey your reader can actually complete.

Step 5: Build a Spine Before You Build Chapters

Whether you’re writing a 1,500-word article or a 60,000-word manuscript, you need a spine: a simple structural throughline that everything else hangs on.

A spine might look like:

  • A 3-part journey: Before → Turning Point → After.
  • A 5-step framework.
  • A set of themed sections (e.g., Identity, Voice, Influence, Legacy).

Here’s a simple exercise:

1. Write your “for who / so that” sentence at the top of a page.

2. Underneath, list 5–7 sentences that could finish this phrase: “To get my reader from where they are to where they want to be, they need to understand that…”

3. Each of those sentences is a potential chapter, section, or key point.

You’ve just moved from big, amorphous idea to a publishable structure. Editors, agents, and sophisticated readers can work with that.

Step 6: Turn Lived Moments into Proof, Not Decoration

In publishable work, stories don’t exist just because they happened. They exist because they prove something. While this concept is important in real life, it’s tremendously important when you only have 60,000-70,000 words.

How often have you been to a cocktail party and someone is going on and on about something that happened to them and you’re wondering why are they telling us this? If you’re lucky, you get to the tie-in at the end. If you’re not, you may walk away still unsure of why they regaled you with their inconsequential experience.

To keep this from happening to you, take one core insight, for example, “Your defining story as a leader isn’t the moment you succeeded. It’s the moment you almost walked away.”

Now ask:

  • When did I live that?
  • When have my clients or colleagues lived it?
  • What did that moment reveal that nothing else could?

Choose 2–4 pivotal moments and map them like this:

  • What was at stake?
  • What choice was made?
  • What changed because of that choice?
  • What does this story demonstrate about my big idea?
  • When you connect each story to a specific insight, your book or article stops feeling like “a bunch of things that happened” and starts reading like a coherent argument with a memorable purpose.

Step 7: Test Your Insights in the Wild

Before you invest fully in a book-length project or pitch, test your insight where it’s cheap to be wrong:

  • Share a short LinkedIn post about your core idea.
  • Offer a 20-minute talk or lunch-and-learn centered on your key question.
  • Have three conversations with people who match your target reader and watch: Where do their eyes light up? Where do they push back? Where do they say, “No one ever talks about that part”?

You’re looking for signs of resonance and relief:

“I’ve never heard it put that way.”

“That’s exactly what I’ve been feeling.”

“Can you say more about that?”

That feedback helps you refine your language, deepen your examples, and often discover the real insight hiding underneath your original idea.

## Step 8: Decide the Right Container: Article, Series, or Book?

Not every big idea needs to go straight to a book. Sometimes the most strategic move is to:

  • Start with a signature article that captures your core insight.
  • Expand into a 3–5 piece series exploring different angles of the same question.
  • Then decide whether the response justifies a full proposal or manuscript.

Good questions to ask:

Can this idea be fully explored in 1,500–3,000 words or do my reader and I genuinely need 40,000+ words to walk through this transformation?

Is this concept stronger as a tight, definitive piece of thought leadership, or as a longer journey with stories, frameworks, and reflection?

Publishable insight isn’t always about scale.

It’s about fit — the right idea in the right container for the right reader.

Is Your Story Ready Checklist

Your idea is moving toward “publishable” when you can:

  • Name a specific reader and a specific moment of need.
  • Say, in one sentence: “This is a book/article about X for Y so they can Z.”
  • Frame your idea around a clear question the reader already feels.
  • Point to one core transformation you’re offering.
  • Outline a simple spine of 3–7 key points or stages.
  • Pair each point with real stories or examples that prove it.
  • See real-world resonance when you share snippets of the idea.

From there, the writing becomes less “mystical” and more like what it really is: a structured, compassionate act of communication.

If your big idea won’t leave you alone…

If you’re sitting with a big, persistent idea that won’t quiet down, it’s usually a sign there’s something there.

You don’t have to decide today whether it’s an article, a keynote, or a book.

You just have to take the next step toward clarity:

  • Write your “for who / so that” sentence.
  • Name the question your reader is really asking.
  • Sketch the 3–7 things they’d need to understand or experience to change.

From there, shaping it into a publishable form is craft.

And craft can be learned, supported, and shared.

If you’d like a strategic partner in that process, that’s the work I do every day: helping leaders and survivors turn big, messy, important ideas into clear stories and manuscripts that can actually make it into the world.

But whether we work together or not, your idea deserves that chance.

After all, your story could become someone else’s lifeline.

Posted on

How Do I Choose a Ghostwriter for My Book?

Hiring a ghostwriter is a little like inviting someone into your mental attic. They’ll sort through memories, ideas, and half-finished chapters of your life or business…and they’ll be there for months. If you want the project to succeed, you will be getting very vulnerable with them. (Yes, even if you’re writing a business book because you’re going to have to show the world what you went through to get where you are now.)

The right partner makes that experience energizing. The wrong one makes it feel like an alien abduction.

If you’re looking for a ghostwriter, here’s how to choose someone who will bring out your best story and make the process enjoyable.

1. Look for someone you genuinely enjoy talking to

You’re going to spend hours in conversation with this person. Real, vulnerable, story-heavy conversations. You want someone who listens well, asks questions that make you think, and feels like a partner you’d willingly grab coffee with. Chemistry isn’t an optional extra. It drives the entire creative process.

Plain talk: if you wouldn’t want to tell them about the moment your life changed, they probably shouldn’t be the one writing your book.

2. Don’t rely too heavily on portfolios

Seeing someone’s published work can be helpful, but it’s rarely the full picture. Most ghostwriters don’t own the copyright to what they create, and many aren’t credited. In some cases, the pieces they show you may not even represent their strongest work or their true range. Every ghostwriter is confined by the client’s story and voice.

Instead, look for signals you can trust: testimonials, client experiences, referrals, and how clearly they explain their process. And if you know someone who’s worked with a ghostwriter? Ask them everything. Word-of-mouth is a strong endorsement.

3. Make sure they understand your field — at least at a basic level

You’re the expert, but if your ghostwriter has zero context for your industry or the ideas you’re trying to express, you’ll end up doing a lot of heavy lifting. Not because they’re incapable — because you’ll constantly need to translate. A writer who already understands the landscape can make your life easier and your message sharper. They’ll also know the right questions to ask.

A ghostwriter who understands your industry or background will have a better grasp of your ideal audience too. That’s incredibly important because not only are they telling your story or expressing your knowledge as a thought leader, they’re writing to that audience. If they don’t know who that audience is, the pivotal connection of what makes your story resonate with them will be lost.

You shouldn’t have to spoon-feed every concept. A shared foundation makes the storytelling smoother.

Real talk: “everyone” is not your ideal audience. If the ghostwriter thinks “everyone” is a good fit for your book, they obviously don’t know who your audience is. Even Taylor Swift isn’t for everyone.

4. Ask about their process and make sure it fits how you want to work

Ghostwriting is not a one-size-fits-all experience. Some writers do long-form interviews. Some collaborate in documents. Some disappear for three months and return with a manuscript. Knowing how they work tells you everything about what the next several months will feel like.

A good process creates clarity, momentum, and trust. If their structure energizes you, that’s your sign.

5. Pay attention to how they talk about story — not just writing

Great ghostwriters don’t fixate on word count. They focus on why your story matters, what it could become, and how to shape it so readers feel something. If a writer talks about story in a way that clicks with you, that’s a strong indicator they’ll handle yours with care.

Look for someone who can translate your ideas into meaning, not just chapters.

6. Notice how they listen

This one’s subtle, but it might be the most important. Do they interrupt? Do they jump straight into solutions? Or do they give you space to tell the story in your own way first? Ghostwriting is built on trust, and trust is built on the quality of the listening.

A good ghostwriter is part writer, part editor, part marketer and story strategist, part journalist, part translator, and part problem solver. They have many hats to wear but the main thing you want to feel after that first call or meeting is understood.

Choosing a ghostwriter isn’t about finding the person with the longest résumé. It’s about finding the person who can help you unlock the story you’ve been carrying, someone who can turn your lived experience into something lasting.

If you choose well, the book becomes more than a project. It becomes a partnership.

If something in this piece nudged you — a memory, an idea, a story you’ve been carrying — let’s talk. Every book partnership begins with a simple conversation.

Posted on

Who Should Work With a Ghostwriter?

Every story I help tell starts with intention. When people say they want to “write a book,” they don’t actually mean physically. Few of us like sitting at a keyboard, striking keys until the tips of our fingers are numb.

What most people want is to have written a book. They want the legacy, the clout, or the pride of having something in writing that talks to who they are.

My clients come to me because they have something worth preserving, teaching, or passing on. Often people in their lives have told them they need to write a book to share their experiences.

But most people don’t know how to start or how to finish.

They fall in love with the idea, but can’t complete the action.

They need an assistant to do the heavy lifting. That’s what I do.

I work with two kinds of people and often, they overlap.

1. The Teachers: Leaders, Coaches, and Speakers

These are the professionals who turn ideas into action for others. They’ve built frameworks, delivered keynotes, and led teams, but now they want to expand that influence beyond the room.

Together, we translate lived experience into clear, credible thought leadership. The kind that builds authority and connection. Their books and essays become extensions of their voice — strategic tools that open doors to new audiences, opportunities, and impact.

2. The Legacy Builders: People with Extraordinary Stories

Some of my clients aren’t building a business, they’re preserving a life. Survivors, founders, caregivers, and changemakers who’ve lived through something worth documenting. They’re writing for meaning, not metrics.

These stories don’t just tell what happened; they reveal why it matters. Whether it’s a memoir, a reflection on resilience, or a generational story, these projects capture truth in a way that helps others and honors what it took to get here.

We Might Be a Great Team If…

  • You’ve thought, “Someone needs to write this down — before I forget.”
  • You’re as interested in the message as the medium.
  • You value process, reflection, and high standards.
  • You want a writing partner who listens deeply and writes strategically.
  • You’re ready to turn experience into something lasting — a book, a message, a legacy.

The right story, told well, can outlast everything else you build.

Ready to work together? Contact me.

Posted on

Why Work With a Ghostwriter?

Most people have a story worth telling. Few have the time—or the emotional distance—to tell it well.

Maybe you have a coaching or speaking business and you need to distill your brilliance into a commodity you can sell.

That’s where a ghostwriter comes in.

Working with a professional ghostwriter isn’t about handing off your story. It’s about collaboration. A good ghostwriter listens for what you mean as much as what you say.

They translate lived experience into clear, compelling language that readers—and publishers—can connect with.

For leaders and entrepreneurs, a ghostwriter can help shape ideas into a book that builds credibility and legacy. For survivors and storytellers, it’s a way to turn memory into meaning without getting lost in the emotions or structure.

You’re not outsourcing your voice. You’re partnering with someone who can amplify it—so your message lands exactly as you intended.

Because a well-told story doesn’t just share what happened. It shows who you are—and why it matters.

Are you ready to get started? If so, contact me today.

Posted on

What Does a Ghostwriter Actually Do?

A ghostwriter is part interviewer, part editor, part translator, part jigsaw puzzle assembler, and part marketer.

A professional ghostwriter takes what’s in you and brings it out in words that sound like you on your best day in a way that appeals to your ideal audience.

That means shaping raw stories, recorded conversations, or notes into a clear, structured manuscript that feels effortless to read. Much like putting together a puzzle, an expert ghostwriter looks at everything and puts the pieces together in a way that is interesting and meets your goals.

Delivery Is Everything

If you’ve ever watched a comedian, you know how important delivery is. It’s not always what they say but how they say it.

The same goes for a ghostwriter.

You have lots of great stories and information but how those are told and arranged makes a difference between something that sells and something that sits.

The best ghostwriting feels invisible.

Readers hear your voice, not the writer’s. The structure is seamless, the emotion is intact, and the message lands exactly as you intended.

Behind every “overnight success” book, there’s often someone quietly doing this work—helping ideas find their true form on the page.

Very few celebrities write their own books. It’s not worth their time and that’s not where their expertise lies.

What about you?

Is it worth your time to write your story or can you trust a professional to handle it?

Think about your personal and professional lives. What things do you entrust to others because they know more about it and have the time to do it? Your lawn, the care of your children, your personal hygiene?

You don’t have to do it all. I can help.

Posted on

How Involved Will I Be in the Writing Process When Working with a Ghostwriter?

As much—or as little—as you want to be.

Some clients love to be part of every brainstorm and review. Others prefer to share their story in a few deep conversations and then let the writing unfold.

A good ghostwriting partnership adapts to your style. You stay the author and the heart of the story.

Your writer handles the structure, flow, and polish that make it publishable.

You’ll see your fingerprints on every page but without developing callus on your writing finger.

Ghostwriting is the ideal solution for anyone who wants to tell their story or impart their wisdom but doesn’t have the time to dedicate to the story’s gestational period and its labor.

Find out more about the ghostwriting process.

Posted on

When Was the Last Time You Watched the Sun Set?

Serious question on this President’s Day…when was the last time you watched the sun set?

I’m not talking about seeing a sunset from your car as you’re driving to a baseball game (oh wait, that’s me). I mean you go somewhere–even if that somewhere is sitting on your back deck or at your window–and you watch the day end.

When did you do that with the sole purpose to watch that glorious orb sink below the horizon?

Last night, my son went on his first date to a beach to watch the sunset. When I picked him up and asked him how it was he said he had never watched the sun set before. I considered all the times we had been on the baseball field or a road trip and the sun put on a spectacular show across the sky. He admitted he had witnessed the beauty left behind but he never watched that moment that exists between the sun being visible and the sun sinking below the horizon.

Granted, he is 14 and slowing down to enjoy a moment of natural beauty that happens all the time isn’t high on his priority list, he appreciated the moment in a way that gave me a glimpse into the man he’s on his way to become.

As we drove home in silence (assuming you don’t count his muted chuckles over TikTok videos as sound), I wondered how many people seek out a sunset and how many we miss because there’s simply “no time.” The sun sets every day (weather allowing visibility) but how often are we able to watch it? How often do we choose to?

Ehhh, there’s always tomorrow, right?

Right?

Is There a Tomorrow?

Imagine knowing that today would be your last opportunity to watch a sunset.

Who would you ask to join you?

Would you watch by yourself, thinking about everything you’ve seen over the course of your life? All the beauty, all the pain, all the mystery. Or would you make a big party of it?

Would you watch from home or from some tropical destination? Maybe you would revel in the majesty of the pinks and purples or would you ugly cry because it would be your last time to enjoy those colors?

Would you want to know it was your last or would you prefer not to know?

Am I being morbid? Not intentionally. These are ideas I’m working on for my next novel tentatively titled “Pardon the Interruption.” It’s about lasts and firsts and how life would change if you had full knowledge of which were which.

If you’d like to know more about it and when it will be out, sign up for my newsletter.

Posted on

Shiny Squirrel and Other Distractions

Six weeks ago, my husband and I were in New Orleans, setting of The Confederacy of Dunces (a book you really should read) and home to Anne Rice. There, we ate pizza slices the size of our heads and visited a psychic, not at the same time. Pizza first.

I am a believer that some people know things that others don’t but this gentleman knew only stereotypes. He warned me about gossiping at work. I’m a self-employed writer. Who am I gossiping with? My dog? Gossip is only good when someone joins you and I assure you my dog is not a very vocal audience. Somewhat disappointing, if you just know. She is like my teenaged kids. She mainly just wants to go out.

Anyhoo, the psychic spent 15 minutes giving us relationship tropes and stereotypes.

Nothing hit home.

Until he said this…

You can’t do it all. Pick one thing and get good at it.

Now he said it in context to us as a couple, and that doesn’t fit, but it sure fits me as an author.

I’m all over the place.

Maybe that’s the creative side of me.

I’m currently working on 3 novels, 1 memoir, launching a TikTok whatever they’re called (channel?), creating a podcast, blogging, and a hundred other things, the least of which is the first one in the list.

To be a great writer, you have to write.

But to be a writer who gets to eat, you have to market yourself and your projects.

So I’m going to take the not-so-psychic guy’s advice in 2022 and dial it back, creating consistent habits of things I know I can accomplish like:

  • working on one compilation of short love stories for people who hate love stories.
  • getting out there on TikTok (obvious self promotion: @Christina.metcalf).
  • recording and launching a podcast on quick ideas to help the creative process.

Notice the pattern there?

Short.

Everything is going to be bite size. Because while I hate tapas (never large enough), I love small, quick projects.

Want to know when my podcast hits the airwaves…or internet…errr…waves….or any other new info, then subscribe below:

Follow the adventures of the shiny squirrel:

Posted on

Being a Writer Is Hard

writer

Writing is hard. Not terminal illness or losing a best friend hard. Okay, it’s not really hard at all.

But ideas are.

Ideas and the time in seat that it requires to hammer out nouns and verbs that agree. Not to mention sticking in a few things to make English teachers go “hmmm.”

That’s hard.

I’m one of the fortunate word slingers. I don’t get writer’s block. There’s a list of 20+ future novels in my notes app on my phone, not to mention all the scrap papers and cocktail napkins that I’ve written my endearing brilliance on. Half of which I can’t read. My handwriting is that bad, despite years in Catholic school with nuns helping me practice penmanship. I must’ve ignored them in much the same way I did my elementary school teachers when they tried to teach me the metric system. I told them it would never take hold in the US. Yes, I was a curmudgeon even then.

But if your head doesn’t resemble my book idea circus, I have a tip for you.

Go someplace that requires your attention on something outside of your own brain like a business meeting, a parent/teacher conference, or your child’s recounting of their latest video game feat. 

As they drone on and on, thoughts will begin to percolate. Ideas will vie for your attention. 

Listen.

Write that %#$* down.

If they ask, tell them you are taking notes on the conversation so you can refer to it later. Throw in a self-deprecating joke about your memory. Most people enjoy that kind of attention.

If you want to be more creative, have your pick of book or story ideas, and put an end to writer’s block with the same vigor that Jon Snow slayed Daenrys, you’re going to love my new project, Creative Fugue. 

Stay tuned for more details. Or don’t. Whatever.

On second thought, you should. You really should.

Let’s stay in touch.