When I work with Claude to help me write, I've developed a voice instruction so there's less line editing to do later: "Master Sergreant Reverend E.B. White with a slightly dark sense of humor, writing a paper for my high school English teacher, Mrs. Cox who is strict about punctuation and founding member of PETOP (People for the Ethical Treatment Of Participles) and she is HIGHLY allergic to "AI-isms" and doesn't carry and epi-pen." It took a lot of practice to find this as a description of my natural writing voice. What might yours be?

I've officially finished production on my first audiobook! It's available on YouTube. It's a short book, but packs a lot in. My marketing strategy with this one is to release it for free on YouTube, and Substack, and soon I'll release the chapters separately, too. I figure that way I can catch readers and listeners who like short-form and/or long-form audio, and maybe entice them to get a copy on Amazon or Audible. Mostly, I'm hoping this will get me booked on more podcasts and that will lead to speaking engagement. That's the vision. https://youtu.be/CxG9cv8I-ig

One of the things I’ve been noticing while revising my latest essay is how often stronger writing comes from removing polish instead of adding it. Early drafts tend to explain themselves too much. They reach for “writerly” language. They summarize emotions the scene already earned. For example: BEFORE:“The plan had started simply enough.” AFTER:“We had a simple plan.” The second one sounds more like an actual human being sitting across from you with a cup of coffee telling you a story. Another: BEFORE:“By the time we got back on the road toward Hopewell, my bladder had begun lodging formal complaints.” AFTER:“By the time we got back on the road toward Hopewell, my bladder was mounting a revolution.” The revision is less technically elegant, but more alive. More movement. More voice. Another: BEFORE:“I needed something older that had a deeper story to tell.” AFTER:“I needed a church with scar tissue.” That’s the difference between abstraction and image. And another: BEFORE:“Despite my best efforts, a quiet ‘WTF’ slipped out.” AFTER:“A quiet ‘WTF’ slipped out.” The first version explains. The second trusts the reader. That’s a huge shift in writing. A lot of improving prose is learning when to stop cushioning every sentence. I think many writers assume strong prose comes from stacking intelligence onto the page. But often it comes from removing insulation and letting the sentence carry its own weight. Sometimes cleaner writing is not more sophisticated. Sometimes it just sounds more true.

Check in and let us know how you did this week. Did you: - Spend any time writing this week? - Clarify your vision for your book? - Make any progress - even a smidge? Rome wasn't built in a day - but it also wasn't built by procrastinating. 📕 Each book can feel like building Rome. 📚 👉 What are your goals for next week? Drop it in the comments!

I'm on my way to Hopewell, New Jersey today. I took a day off of work to go there. In my novel, Away To The World, there's a pivotal scene that takes place in an old church. The novel is deeply rooted in New Jersey, so I started scouring different towns, using Google Earth, looking for just the right church. What I found is far better than what I wanted. More to come.