Today’s THESE WORDS CHANGED ME comes from Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. After days of listening to the Buddha’s teachings, Siddhartha, a wanderer seeking enlightenment, encounters The Awakened One in a grove. And guess what he does? He gives the Great One a piece of his mind! Here’s what he says: “The teachings of the enlightened Buddha […]
Whenever I share on social media about a book writing client’s success, I have mixed emotions. I never want to steal the attention and thunder from their hard-earned success. And–in life, it’s always a both/and, right?–I think there’s a way to talk about a client’s success as well as my work in a way that […]
WORDS CHANGE US I submitted my memoir to agents. The book’s working title is: Shiva Blues: A Seeker’s Journey. It’s about travel, kicking an addiction to strong pharmaceuticals, and trying to live against the grain of American Big Alpha toxic masculinity…but, primarily, the book is about personal transformation. Is transformation possible? If so, how do […]
I was in my mid-thirties and quite depressed when I first stumbled on a recording of Alan Watts’ unique style of spiritual entertainment. Within a few minutes, I was chuckling out loud and had forgotten I was depressed. These days, I no longer suffer from depression, and Watts’ recordings still crack me up and fill […]
I found this B&W print today while unpacking from my recent move. I was 30 years old, flying out the next day for Greenland and my first overseas adventure-writing assignment for a major magazine. I reported the article and then found myself camped out for three weeks on a beach socked in by pack-ice and […]
I want to tell you about a book that, each time I open it, makes me a better writer. You probably haven’t heard of it, or of the author, Ted Solotaroff. It’s not a best-seller like Bird by Bird or a popular favorite like Stephen King’s On Writing. In fact, I’ve never seen another copy of this essay […]
When I used to travel a lot as a magazine writer, I tried to work fast so that I could explore more of the countries I visited. I gravitated toward holy sites. Temples, churches, ashrams, ancient ruins, active charnel grounds. I wasn’t a believer, so I wasn’t even sure what “holy” meant. But those sites, with their […]
Working in memoir requires a writer to stand in the fire of truth. This means holding ourselves accountable to seeing what’s true about our lives. Part of my process as a book writing coach is to point clients to ways they can write with a more open heart. Writing well about our life requires us to open […]
Years ago, I committed to a daily yoga practice after two decades of casual three-days-per-week practice. Within months, I saw tangible results. I became more fit, more flexible, a little happier, a little less reactive, and even more connected to my spiritual self, which I’d abandoned years earlier. All good stuff. I kept at it. […]
Seeing our planet–the entire misty blue sphere–from outer space changes one’s perspective. Astronauts who’ve experienced this say it’s like a mystical experience. It changed them. This big shift in consciousness is called The Overview Effect. The term was coined by astronaut Frank White. He wrote that he was profoundly changed from seeing the earth as […]
Journal about your book and expertise. In other words, write like crazy about your book idea and your expertise. Ask yourself, what gifts of knowledge and wisdom do I have to share with the world? Locate your tribe. Research your audience. Who are your readers? Where are they? What do they need? How can you help them with the […]
Do you seek to publish your nonfiction book with a traditional publisher? Then you’ll want to write a compelling book proposal. To help you get started, I’m offering you this free guide to writing your book proposal. I am an experienced book-proposal coach. I help people write powerful, irresistible book proposals. If you’d like my expert guidance […]
Writing a memoir or narrative nonfiction book requires a wide range of skills. You’ve got to be able to do it all: organize thoughts, structure chapters, report the facts, and, after all the big-picture stuff, you must also pay attention to the smallest of details such as grammar and punctuation. It’s a big job, but it’s very doable with […]
Writing is more like yoga than you might think. Both disciplines require learning specific rules and vocabularies. Yoga has its 8 Limbs, one of which is asana, or the physical poses that most Westerners consider to be yoga. Each asana asks the yogi to hold the body in a specific and precise way. By focusing […]
As a book writing coach, I’m always on the lookout for new ways to help my clients. Sometimes ideas come to me while watching Netflix. I recently watched Bruce Springsteen on Broadway on Netflix. Springsteen’s playing is rousing. His storytelling, more so. But the show’s true gift is watching Springsteen unmask himself. He bashes myths about himself […]
I wake up early. Not by choice really. There’s not much to do at 4:30 a.m. or 5 a.m. but practice. I look serious here. But that’s the mood, the vibe, before sunrise. At least, to me. It feels like a time to consider and contemplate and journal. Life. God. Purpose. That kind of stuff. […]
Hi Friends, I’ve been thinking about faith lately. Faith is a central theme in the travel memoir I’m writing. Faith has been a central theme in my life. Since I was a kid, I’ve been drawn to religious and spiritual paths. But as strong as the pull toward God has sometimes been, my relationship with […]
A consistent yoga practice can be powerful. It’s like standing in front of a mirror and staring at your reflection. This can be frightening for anybody, but for a middle-aged man it is especially so. First, you see things that surprise or shock you. Is my belly really that lumpy? Is my hair that gray? […]
The morning after my dog Blue died, I woke before dawn, reached into the dark for my phone, and turned it over to a text from a friend: I’m so sorry, Brad. My heart aches for you. ? A tear rolled down my cheek, but I didn’t want to wake Kristen. I leaned over, kissed […]
A consistent yoga practice can be powerful. It’s like standing in front of a mirror and staring at your reflection. This can be frightening for anybody, but for a middle-aged man it is especially so. First, you see things that surprise or shock you. Is my belly really that lumpy? Is my hair that gray? […]
