Writing
What’s This About Process?
One of my best friends can sit down and write a post from start to finish in one sitting. It’ll need some editing, but the ideas are there, the voice strong, and the argument mostly formed. I hate her. Another friend of mine writes poetry. He calls them blogs, but they’re poems. Each day he (…)
How Much Should You Share Online?
One thing I still don’t get about driving a car is rubbernecking. I understand slowing down if people or debris are in the road, but looking to see what’s happening in the middle of a busy freeway sounds insane. Of course, I absolutely rubberneck because I’m a human being with eyes and I also want (…)
This Beauty That I See
When Ann Patchett has an idea for a book, she says it whirls around her like an “oversized butterfly whose wings were cut from the rose window in Notre Dame.” She’s. So. Good. That’s exactly what it feels like when inspiration strikes. That moment when your idea is so beautiful, you have to sit with (…)
Something A Little Different
You know when you eat too much cheese and you turn into a human blob of bloating and immobility? I feel like we’ve all eaten too much cheese. We’re encumbered. Some of us are encumbered with children or spouses, others encumbered with silence and stillness. They’re two sides of the same coin. You can’t have (…)
Remote Bartending Is A Thing Now
Few years ago, I had my own column at Inc. Inc sold my email address to some company named Meltwater that has since distributed it to every bad PR company in the Western Hemisphere. No matter how many requests I make to be removed (and how many years go by that I am no longer an Inc (…)
Will You Write This For Us?
This week an old friend asked if I’ve been thinking about how we’ll look back at this period in 5-10 years. I laughed at him. No, I am not. But if you’re finding yourself in a position to proactively reflect, I hope you’re also spending some of that time keeping a record of what you see right now. (…)
A Few Things I’ve Learned About Writing
So, I’m knee-deep in book writing after a two-month hiatus of non-stop existential crises and some actual crises. I know they say circumstances are never ideal for creativity, but calmer would be nice. I heard Adam Grant say in an interview once that he used to write term papers in college while his roommate threw parties and it (…)
What Happens When You Put Lazy Content Out There For a Click
A friend of mine has this fantastic online business idea. When he was explaining how he was going to grow it, he said something that hit me after we got off the phone: “I’ll just hire some writers to churn out some content for $150.” NO. No. No. nonononononononoooooooooo Listen, my inner Robber Baron gets it. (…)