While watching a few author interviews several years ago, I couldn't help but marvel at how smooth the conversations were. It didn't matter what question was asked or which random direction the discussion went. They knew every inch of their book like the back of their hand. They recited specific passages from memory – as if they had the book open in front of them. They didn't stutter, stammer, or trip themselves up out of sheer nervousness. How could this be? Well ... beyond

It's not every day that I have the opportunity to be the spotlight author at a book signing. But here I am, thanks in no small part to my new book, Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion For The Written Word. It's a little more than a week away. And here's the best part: YOU'RE INVITED! I am cordially inviting all writers and avid readers everywhere to my book signing from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, January 22! Patchouli Joe's Books & Indulgences in downtown Denton is gr

A friend told me the other day that he keeps getting in trouble at work for writing his reports in the passive voice. Granted, no one expects him to be a professional writer, but that hasn't stopped his boss from pleading with him to start writing in the active voice. My reaction when he told me was, "Good for your boss!" Everyone should know the difference between active and passive voice. With active voice, the subject in the sentence acts upon its verb. With passive voice,

With just a couple of days left in 2021, I wanted to take a quick second to thank everyone. I'm not here to share any writing and grammar knowledge or convince you to buy my new book, Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion For The Written Word. All I want to do is share a special thank you for a great year as your friendly neighborhood writer, editor, and author! Thank you for allowing me to chase my passion – to do something I truly enjoy. Many people don't get that

What in the world am I doing writing about rejection right before Christmas? What a downer! But hear me out because not a day goes by where a new writer or a veteran trying something new isn't dealing with or worried about having something they've written get rejected by a publishing house, newspaper, magazine, online site, etc. Writers get told "no" a lot, which can be especially hard during the holidays. I wrote a few quick words on rejection in my new book, Write Like You

Writing my new book, Write Like You Mean It, wasn't as difficult as initially imagined. Finding a publisher who was just as eager to see the finished product – also not too difficult. Promoting my new book and getting it into everyone's hands? Well, that's a bit different. Friends have enjoyed teasing me for becoming that guy who walks around with a box of books on his hip ... a "traveling book salesman" of sorts. And they're not wrong. Without fail, I have them on hand every

When you're a writer, your goal is to get published. I know ... that's not exactly "mindblowing news," is it? That's like saying basketball players have a goal of putting the ball in the net, or a lawyer's goal is to win their first case. Of course, we want to get published. As I said in my book, Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion For The Written Word, "to write like you mean it also means to write like you mean it to be read." And that's true for any writer – reg

Christmas is almost here. And if you're like me, you're probably still trying to figure out what to buy for friends, family, and perhaps that loveable writer in your life. Here are 9 holiday gifts for the writer in your family. And yes, this list starts with my new book! 1. New book: Write Like You Mean It This book is useful to first-time writers, veteran writers, nonfiction writers, fiction writers, freelance writers, college writers, high school writers, writers who own th

Since the day that my book, Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion For The Written Word, was published, I've had this irrational fear that no one will read the introduction. Why read the intro? Just curl up by the fire and jump right into Chapter 1. And then Chapter 2. And Chapter 3. And so on ... I didn't always read book introductions when I was younger. And it was for the same reasons: I simply couldn't wait to dive into whatever it was that the author was t

I was approached recently by a gentleman who was writing a book about poverty. A few of his goals were to shine a light on the epidemic, pepper his first chapter or two with a slew of sobering statistics, and then dive into how he's been getting people out of poverty for good. As he handed it to me, he admitted that what he had so far was too clinical and certainly not something someone would read cover to cover unless they were forced to. It was missing something, and it was

In last week's blog, I wrote that my mom has always wanted me to write a children's book. And who knows ... maybe I will someday. I'm certainly not against it – it's just that now is not that time. Do you know who did, though? My father-in-law, Dennis. That's right. In 2018, long before I even thought about writing my first book, Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion For The Written Word, Dennis published a book he'd been sitting on for the better part of 20 years.

For years, my sweet, loving mother bugged me to write a book. She'd seen my Gamel Funny Farm blogs and laughed until her sides hurt listening to me and my wife share what was going on in our world with the kids. Naturally, she insisted I write a children's book. Now, I get it ... it's smart to say, "Yes, mommy," and follow through on anything your mother says. But not for this one. I mean ... maybe someday I'll write a children's book. But not yet. I had my eyes on nonfiction

I spent the early days of my career writing about sports. And boy, did I ever jump in with both feet! I covered games for the local newspaper every Friday night. I also wrote athlete profiles and feature articles and even uncovered my share of breaking news pieces. Sports writing was fun – and it was ALL I wanted to write about. As time went by, I began to think a little differently. I still loved being a sportswriter. I was just at a game the other night, in fact. But I want

Have you ever written something and been too scared to share it? Do you have what you feel are great stories sitting in piles of spiral notebooks that have never seen the light of day? Are you fearful of the 5,325,001 terrifying outcomes of letting a stranger read your work? You're not alone. Writers of all experience levels and walks of life are burdened by fear every day. We know it's simply part of the creative process, and yet, so many of us let it hold us back – time and

I've had more than a handful of conversations with aspiring authors since my book, Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion For The Written Word, was published last month. And everyone kept saying the same thing about writing their own book one day: "I've been told that I need to write a book but haven't taken the plunge yet." "I've got two or three books in me, I swear." "I've got an idea, but I'm just not sure if it's book material." Well, if I can write a book, so ca

Voyage Dallas, an online magazine that fosters collaboration and support for small-business owners, independent artists and entrepreneurs, local institutions, and those who make our city interesting, recently featured me in its "The Most Inspiring Stories in Dallas" collection. It's been a whirlwind few weeks as I continue promoting my new book, Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion For The Written Word. Besides the Voyage Dallas feature, just a few things I've been

The phone only rang twice before my dad picked up and said, "Hello?" It was great to hear his voice, but the thing is, he never answers the phone at their house. It's always m. Being the worrywart that I am, I instantly thought something was wrong. "Oh, hey! What are you doing?" I asked. "Cleaning up," he said. "Your mother is sitting outside reading your book. It came today." Before I could get another syllable out, dad started unloading a series of questions about the book

Ask anyone what they think makes a good writer, and the answers will run the gamut. Is it their attention to detail? Absolutely. How about their strong vocabulary and command of the English language? Must-haves, every time! What about an undying passion for storytelling, a knack for hooking a reader, and making complex thoughts simple and easy to read? Yes! All of that – and so much more. The list of qualifications for what makes a good writer is long – and deservedly so. I t

It's not every day that you get the 5-star treatment from a publishing company that is equally as excited as you are about your first book! But that's exactly what I experienced on Tuesday when I visited my good friends at Brown Books Publishing Group in Dallas. They lured me there to "take a few pictures." In reality, it was to present me with the first copy of my book, Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion For The Written Word. After nearly two years of trying to g

Thankfully, I've been getting a ton of questions thrown my way about my upcoming book, Write Like You Mean It: Mastering Your Passion For The Written Word. I shared a few of them below, just in case you're wondering if you should buy it. Please buy my book. You won't be disappointed. Q: What was your “I’m going to do this” moment that led to Write Like You Mean It? A: I’d been thinking about writing a book for several years, but the tipping point came at the very beginning of