You have an idea.

You have an outline.

Now you’re ready to write. Almost ready*.

First, writers need to ask the important question that holds the key to their writing.

“Why should your readers care about your writing?”

I admit I have made the mistake of not asking this question. I just focus on what I want to write without really pausing to think about the reader.

But with a few tweaks, I’ve learned how to write for my readers. And now you can too.

Why This Question Matters Above All Other Questions

It doesn’t matter if you’re writing a novel, a newsletter, or a short article. You…

Everyone loves a brilliant idea.

Until that idea gets implemented and you realize it sucks. The results are disastrous. You get blamed. The world comes crashing down.

Now you hate your idea. Everyone hates your idea.

If you’re an idea man or woman, you probably come up with a ton of ideas each day. You probably have an idea notebook that you use for anything.

But that’s really where most ideas end up and die — in the notebook. Why is that?

Answer — because we don’t have a process. We don’t have a process for our ideas. …

Wake up. Drink coffee. Begin writing.

Sometimes it’s not that simple. Writing sometimes takes a lot of prep work, at least for some of us. It takes research, outlining, and editing.

For me, it’s wake up, drink coffee, and brainstorm ideas and experiences I could write about. Then I write something. Edit. Write some more. Edit some more. Back and forth. And back and forth.

Although it’s a process, I truly love writing about my ideas and experiences. I love writing about it because it’s about my personal ideas and experiences.

And that’s the key to becoming a better writer…

Vanilla Toffee Bar Crunch, Cherry Garcia, & Peanut Butter Cup.

Some of the best ice cream flavors don’t exist without mentioning Ben & Jerry’s.

Also, these are just some of my favorite Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavors. So you can expect my shock and awe when I heard that Vanilla Toffee Bar Crunch was retired a couple of years ago.

It was one of the many flavors that were sent to Ben & Jerry’s graveyard, joining the many others over the years. …

January

What are my goals and are they realistic?

2021 are about finding goals that are realistic to me.

If I made a goal of writing two novels this year, I don’t think that’s attainable because I’m exceeding my grasp. I’ve never written a novel. I’m not familiar with writing a novel.

I need to create a goal that doesn’t crush my soul because I didn’t accomplish it. Realistic goals are true to you and your life, not what other writers do.

February

Am I consistent?

February is about finding what works for me, building from January goals.

I should continue to pursue writing short stories, have an idea notebook, and never give…

Shopping at your local convenience store is ironically becoming less convenient. Shopping online is convenient. A luxury. A blissful delight when you realize you can avoid the stampede of holiday shopping by doing it online.

Now more people are online shopping because they can do it on their phone, allowing them to do it anywhere they want. If people wanted, they could shop in the Antarctic while they are fishing for krill and sledding on one leg.

While online shopping may be easy, running an e-commerce business isn’t exactly cake, not even if you sell a cake. …

Copywriting is a blend of marketing, English, and psychology.

When you’ve mastered copywriting, there’s no limit to what you can make — 5k, 10k, 20k, or 50k a month.

I stumbled onto copywriting as a content writer and had to learn a lot by myself. But I’ve also had help from other specialized copywriters who taught a course. I learned about Facebook ads and email copywriting.

Back in April of 2019, I wrote an article on Medium on everything I’ve learned about copywriting.

At the time, I knew a lot about copywriting. I knew a lot about how to grow…

I haven’t made a million bucks.

I haven’t created a product.

I’m still learning about entrepreneurship.

But I have observed a lot of things ever since I went into marketing and copywriting. I’ve noticed gaps in the market because I want to launch a business and I want to help others.

And what I’ve learned is that every business should identify a gap in the market before they start a business. Don’t just start a business because you want to make a lot of money. …