Ask the Author: Chris Westfall
Answered Questions (8)
Chris Westfall
Unbuttoning her blouse to reveal her ample bosom, she leaned in and kissed him ...hard. Her hug was unexpected, and his fart exploded into the front seat with a unapologetic honk that made his eyes water.
Chris Westfall
I would like to mess around in the world of "Ready Player One." Ernest Cline created an astonishing mystery inside of a fully-developed curtain call for all things 1980s. I also enjoyed the movie. I'm not a gamer, but I would like to step into this world and explore what it's like there. And if Zuckerberg gets his way, soon I'll be able to do so.
Chris Westfall
This doesn't exist for me. I know, you think I'm trying to be big and bold and badass but I am telling you the truth. When do thoughts stop coming through us? Look, not everything is a story or narrative or instruction or whatever. But I have never found myself at a loss for words. Because the words are all around us. Sure, sometimes I don't know which words to choose. But that's what sandwiches and long walks and highways are for. I get out into the world, and new thoughts show up. If I really do encounter this "writer's block" of which you speak, I have a simple mantra. Read to write. So, I read something. I find something that sparks my imagination. Since creativity is infinite, and as near as I can tell it's always available, typically I need to let go of whatever it is that I'm thinking of that's not creative. After all, what is writer's block but a thought? When you let go of the idea that you're not creative, guess what? You are.
Chris Westfall
I was working with my writing coach, explaining to her how all these obligations were slowing me down, and I had all this stuff on my mind, and I wasn't sure how I was going to get to all of it, and yadayadayada. She said to me, "Chris, what if it's all writing?" That gave me pause. Of course, not everything in life is writing...but she was asking about possibility. What if I could write my own story, in the same way I was exploring the story of the Coach and the Client inside of easier? What if tackling life's challenges was writing, too? Meaning: not some made-up story, but that the approach to life and writing was the same. In other words, a creative approach to life and love and learning and (yes, you guessed it) writing? That's the best thing about writing: the opportunity to create. To look in the direction of what's easier. To explore new possibilities for the reader, and discover something about your self in the process. That creativity - and the chance to weave in an unexpected turn in the journey -is what keeps me coming back for more. My coach said, "What if it's all writing?" My response: "What if it's all....creativity?" The best thing about being a writer is the best thing about being a keynote speaker and being a consultant and being a coach and being a husband and being a father and being able to share these words with you: it's the process of creation. Sure, the forms are different. But the impulse: to create, to write, to dream, to live...it's all the same. And quite often, it's nothing less than extraordinary.
Chris Westfall
Read "Method Writing" by Jack Grapes. Take a class with Jack Grapes, or one of his acolytes. Take pains to write well, and invest in your craft. Don't just wing it. There is such a thing as the 'creative process' and I highly recommend investigating that process thingy right there. Then, develop your own process of what works. Have you seen the episode of "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" where Jerry Seinfeld talks with Dave Chappelle? (I realize that he is a controversial figure, so please don't be triggered by the reference - I want to talk about what Jerry says). Seinfeld says that he can't write in the afternoon. You have to write in the morning, otherwise it's garbage. Well, Jerry, with all due respect: That's _your_ process. I've pumped out some great and magical words after dinner - including these pearls of wisdom LOL - and there's no statute of limitations on when creativity shows up. Find your own path, that's my advice - and also: just write. Write the story that needs to come through you. Write the story you need to read. Write a story that's cinematic and insightful and bold and provocative but most of all: write your truth. Because the truth shall set you free - and that's the freedom that's waiting for you, next time you sit down to write.
Chris Westfall
In addition to this book, I've been a ghostwriter on four books for Wiley. (One is an international best seller, and the one that just came out is well on its way to similar status). So, since Covid came upon us, I've written five full-length books. Right now, I'm working on my next ghostwriting assignment for one of the world's foremost thought leaders in the learning and development space. I'm also delivering group coaching programs to Fortune 500 companies and running a very active video production business. People are surprised that I still make time to talk with entrepreneurs and executives about my coaching practice, but it's true. Visit my website and hit the "Contact" button - you can send me an email or set up a time to talk.
Chris Westfall
My business is based on service. When I deliver a keynote speech, or coach a client, or consult with a Fortune 500 company, I focus on service. This book is, in my mind, one way to convey that service. Many folks right now are frustrated with their jobs. Their relationships. I've been there, and I wanted to share a perspective that can turn frustration into transformation. Through the dialogue inside of "easier", a Coach and a Client discover 60 ways to make work easier. And in the process, they discover new insights that impact relationships, career goals, and entrepreneurship. These themes are important to me, and helping others is the greatest inspiration I receive - whether coaching, speaking or writing.
Chris Westfall
The story came to me when I had already pitched a different idea to my publisher, Wiley. I had offered to write a book of 100 tips for the future of work. I got started on it and my heart sank. I thought to myself, "Really? This book is going to read like a series of blog posts. Or commandments. Or little pieces of advice. How is that really going to make a difference for people? And what's interesting about THAT?" My wife took it a step further: "People are going to read your book in the toilet," was all she said. I didn't want to flush it out any further. So I shifted gears. I was working with my writing coach at the time, and I don't know where exactly the shift happened - but I decided to turn the book into a story. A narrative. A business fable, if you will. I decided to make it a story about a Client who hires a Coach to help him out of his job. He's frustrated and can't find the courage to do what he knows he needs to do, so he meets up with a Coach to explore the possibilities. Little does he know he's about to be fired in just five days. So, from inside this "life after career death" story, these two men discover 60 ways to make anything in life - yes, you read that right, _anything_ - easier. The Client meets up with the Coach to find guidance, insight and maybe just a little understanding around why his life is so hard. And he discovers what Michael Neill says: "Hard is a habit. But it doesn't have to be." When I started on this new narrative format, the book was originally written in first person, from the Client's perspective (First person, like the Tale of the White Whale, "Call me Ishmael" and all that). My writing coach asked me, "Are you sure you only want one point of view into the story?" I wanted to share the coach's perspective as well, in hopes that those who are coaching and leading others might benefit from the kind of service and understanding that's expressed in the book. The story is unlike anything I've ever written before - and as I've told anyone who's willing to listen, it's not only the book I needed to write, it's the book I need to read. Because the story really does make everything easier.
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