Even before I wrote for a living, I read and absorbed the advice that dropped from the lips of writers. I’ve amassed a collection of these gems on my hard drive over the years. This week, in honor of the back-to-school mentality that permeates my soul at this time of year, I thought I’d dig in the files and see if any of the quotes I’ve saved actually makes sense, decades after I collected them.

You know what I discovered? The oldest quotes are the most useless. The one I harvested earlier this year is gold. And I would have expected better from the talented writers and creatives who uttered these words.

The words of wisdom come from people such as…

I’ve written another article about dogs, this time about how dogs are used in various ways the world over to help humans. They are, as I point out, probably the second most employed species on the planet. This article builds on the premise I laid a few weeks ago at SleuthSayers, the mystery blog, when I shared some fun facts about dog noses. If you love dogs, you will want to check this story out.

The post is called…

I’m over at SleuthSayers, the mystery blog, today, talking how dogs and humans came to be pals, and other amazing facts about canine noses. I don’t think you’ll want to miss it if you are a dog lover.

The post is called…

Next year is the 250th anniversary of the United States, which means it is necessarily also the 250th birthday of the Declaration of Independence. I know a lot about that document, thanks to the research I did several years ago to write a book about the signers of that hallowed document. Today, I’m talking about a lesser-known individual associated with the Declaration—Timothy Matlack—the man who actually hand-wrote the document that all the Congressmen signed…

The photo above depicts a writer, hiding from the world. The sort of writer who wants their literary agent to “take care of them.” To see to the business side of things so they, the writer, can “just write.” The sort of writer, in other words, who makes me want to frow up.

One of the small things an empowered writer can do to take back the night is to stop putting their agent’s name on their website. It makes sense if you’re a name writer, and it makes sense in certain other situations, but in general, a newbie or mid-list author would be better served keeping intel to themselves.

Here’s why…

The key to lasting success in this business is multiple income streams. One of those streams can be licensing for film adaptations.

The topic came up recently on one of the writer boards I subscribe to. Hearing short story writers talk about film adaptations and film money reminded me how much I’ve learned about the topic over the years, witnessing the licensing conversations about the work of Denise and my ghostwriting clients.

I dug through my files, did some research, and put together an article discussing this topic. If you’re a writer who has written even a single book or short story, you will want to read this…

Back in September, the weekend Hurricane Helene destroyed my town, I was off in Charleston at a book event where John Lennon’s lawyer was talking about his latest book.

It was a fascinating story, and since we’re both guys from the New York area who relocated late in life to the American South, we hit it off.

Jay Bergen later visited Asheville to do an event at the authors-in-conversation book chat my wife runs in our town. Jay was a hit, mostly because he’s a great raconteur and his book—about the intellectual property suit in which he defended John Lennon against a mobster—reveals him to be an equally fine writer.

I’m talking about his story today at SleuthSayers, the mystery blog, which is right up our alley, seeing as…

Anyone who works in an artistic profession battles demons. It doesn’t matter if you’re a writer, painter, dancer, actor, or whatever. Rejection comes with the territory.

If you hope to survive, you develop coping mechanisms for riding the ups and downs. They can be big commitments (an annual retreat, a weekly session with a therapist) or little ones (a daily meditation practice or walk in the woods to stay grounded).

One of the ones I use requires just a single piece of note card. Until recently, I thought I got the idea out of a book. It turns out, I came up with the idea myself. But the book is still worth reading if you’re a writer.

The book is called …

I have a couple of posts coming this year on the topic of speaking engagements. Every writer is asked to get in front of an audience from time to time.

The newbie author greets these opportunities with terror and consternation, while the experienced author greets them with terror and consternation. But neither should fret. It’s actually quite easy to stand in front of an audience and make a favorable impression. All you must do is this: Speak from the heart!

It sounds like a cliche, but it works. The more centered you are, the more you know your story cold, the better you will be able to deliver it…

I went looking for advice on work-balance for writers. Hoping to get inspired, I studied the lives of writers going back to the 1930s.

Well, I shouldn’t have. Their circumstances were so different from modern life that the secrets of their success probably would not work for writers today. But their stories are still inspirational.

That’s what I’m talking about today at SleuthSayers, in an article I’m calling…