Six writers you can learn a lot from
Books are being published all the time ... and sometimes by friends of mine. Every published book is a monumental success and here I'd simply like to congratulate six friends on their latest achievements. Kudos to Andy Briggs, Jason Arnopp, Danny Stack, Tim Clague, John Stepper and Jeff Grant - you can learn a ton from them!
There are those who have ideas (every single person on the planet) ... and then there are those who put pen to paper and turn ideas into finished stories (writers). Writing is a marathon-type discipline and most simply don't have the stamina to stick with it. To go from idea to passion is one thing ... but passion comes and goes and the muse won't always be there to kiss you. The simple truth is that writing is discipline, it's ass-to-seat days and weeks and months and years on end. The simple truth is that those who have the staying power to stick with it through all the frustrations, the lulls, the distractions, the obstacles, the fears, those are the ones who - one day - will be able to call themselves authors.
Andy Briggs
Andy's been a friend for many years and he is, without a doubt, one of the most prolific writers out there. He's immersed in fiction, graphic novels, screenplays, you name it. I remember him telling me, ages ago, about the idea behind Hero.com and Villain.Net ... for most, it would end there. But Andy went on to turning it into a series of 8 novels! He was then selected by the Edgar Rice Burroughs Estate to reboot Tarzan for a new generation - and has already written 3 novels. His latest novel (hard to keep up with the man!), just published in May, is Iron Fist . Every time I see Andy (which is far too rarely) I tell him that, when I grow up, I want to be like him. Exercise your writing muscle at all times. The more you train that muscle, the better you become at running those writing marathons.
Jason Arnopp
Jason and I met in 2007 at the Cheltenham Screenwriters' Festival. Even then, just starting out, he had an open, engaging way about him ... and that's just what defines Jason. He networks, one way or another, all the time. You see, writing is what it is all about for a writer ... but it is pretty nice to get hired, to get the assignment, to get published ... right? Jason's always been upfront in both physical and virtual worlds about his passion for film, for horror, for Dr. Who ... and guess what ... by showing up he put his name into conversations. Jason's just published his latest novel, The Last Days of Jack Sparks . Engage with the world around you. Use social media, write blogs, add value to others by offering your help. Over time your name becomes known and things will happen.
Danny Stack and Tim Clague
Danny and Tim share a love for film. Over the course of years they've created their podcast series and have found many other ways of sharing their insights and becoming household names in the UK screenwriting world. Besides working on their own projects, they put their creative brains together for a children's feature film called Who Killed Nelson Nutmeg ? In 2014 they easily exceeded their Kickstarter funding goals ... but does it end there? Nope, in fact it never ends. These guys, like all other pros, keep at it because it, all of this, defines who they are, what they care about, what makes them get up in the morning. And so, just this year, they decided to bring their insights together in a book and have published The UK Scriptwriter's Survival Handbook . Danny and Tim are a magnetic combination of like-minded spirits. Through the longs stretches of writing a book, having a partner can be of immense help.
John Stepper
John has spent a good chunk of his life working for Deutsche Bank where he focused his attentions on helping employees collaborate more effectively and creating more meaningful networks. Over time he became a trainer, presenter, lecturer - and learned more and more about ways to enable authentic relationships and adding true meaning to our lives ... lots of people try to live good lives, try to add value, try to be engaged, caring, compassionate. Lots of people talk about it and John did his best within the firm for a long time, too, talking about it - trying to get employees to discover better, richer ways. Now John's taken it further. He has taken the insights gathered over the course of twenty years and has shared them in his book entitled Working Out Loud: For a better career and life . Because of his dedication and focus - and the excellent book, of course - he is now a sought-after speaker and coach. John has done what many of us can - share our insights from a life lived, expertise gathered - in whatever field. Think about your life - what insights do you have?
Jeff Grant
I've actually never met Jeff (yet!) - but his wife and I are good friends and so I've been "in the know" about Jeff's world for years. He's quit a corporate career in 2010 and focused full-time on coaching, speaking ... and writing. Creator of Hillseeker , he's an ultra-endurance athlete, does some of the toughest marathons and expeditions in the world ... and shares his insights, his passion for it all, every step of the way. The thing is, once upon a time Jeff was a whopping 32 kilos overweight . He went from there to achieving everything he's achieved and essentially focuses his every day on one thing: "Do what you love." Simple, right? ... And yet how many of us think we can't? Jeff has, just now, published his book Flow State Runner . Jeff is the perfect example to show how much we can achieve with discipline and stamina ... but even more importantly, when we simply give our all to what we love doing.
Whether yours is imagination or insight, fiction or non-fiction - take the above as examples. Read their books, follow their blogs, connect with them across the social media spheres and get inspired. Andy, Jason, Danny, Tim, John and Jeff are people like you and I. It's not about that elusive spark - it's about discipline and stamina, the will to go from having an idea to doing it - through it all - to the moment where you, too, will be an author.
There are those who have ideas (every single person on the planet) ... and then there are those who put pen to paper and turn ideas into finished stories (writers). Writing is a marathon-type discipline and most simply don't have the stamina to stick with it. To go from idea to passion is one thing ... but passion comes and goes and the muse won't always be there to kiss you. The simple truth is that writing is discipline, it's ass-to-seat days and weeks and months and years on end. The simple truth is that those who have the staying power to stick with it through all the frustrations, the lulls, the distractions, the obstacles, the fears, those are the ones who - one day - will be able to call themselves authors.Andy Briggs
Andy's been a friend for many years and he is, without a doubt, one of the most prolific writers out there. He's immersed in fiction, graphic novels, screenplays, you name it. I remember him telling me, ages ago, about the idea behind Hero.com and Villain.Net ... for most, it would end there. But Andy went on to turning it into a series of 8 novels! He was then selected by the Edgar Rice Burroughs Estate to reboot Tarzan for a new generation - and has already written 3 novels. His latest novel (hard to keep up with the man!), just published in May, is Iron Fist . Every time I see Andy (which is far too rarely) I tell him that, when I grow up, I want to be like him. Exercise your writing muscle at all times. The more you train that muscle, the better you become at running those writing marathons.
Jason Arnopp
Jason and I met in 2007 at the Cheltenham Screenwriters' Festival. Even then, just starting out, he had an open, engaging way about him ... and that's just what defines Jason. He networks, one way or another, all the time. You see, writing is what it is all about for a writer ... but it is pretty nice to get hired, to get the assignment, to get published ... right? Jason's always been upfront in both physical and virtual worlds about his passion for film, for horror, for Dr. Who ... and guess what ... by showing up he put his name into conversations. Jason's just published his latest novel, The Last Days of Jack Sparks . Engage with the world around you. Use social media, write blogs, add value to others by offering your help. Over time your name becomes known and things will happen.
Danny Stack and Tim Clague
Danny and Tim share a love for film. Over the course of years they've created their podcast series and have found many other ways of sharing their insights and becoming household names in the UK screenwriting world. Besides working on their own projects, they put their creative brains together for a children's feature film called Who Killed Nelson Nutmeg ? In 2014 they easily exceeded their Kickstarter funding goals ... but does it end there? Nope, in fact it never ends. These guys, like all other pros, keep at it because it, all of this, defines who they are, what they care about, what makes them get up in the morning. And so, just this year, they decided to bring their insights together in a book and have published The UK Scriptwriter's Survival Handbook . Danny and Tim are a magnetic combination of like-minded spirits. Through the longs stretches of writing a book, having a partner can be of immense help.
John Stepper
John has spent a good chunk of his life working for Deutsche Bank where he focused his attentions on helping employees collaborate more effectively and creating more meaningful networks. Over time he became a trainer, presenter, lecturer - and learned more and more about ways to enable authentic relationships and adding true meaning to our lives ... lots of people try to live good lives, try to add value, try to be engaged, caring, compassionate. Lots of people talk about it and John did his best within the firm for a long time, too, talking about it - trying to get employees to discover better, richer ways. Now John's taken it further. He has taken the insights gathered over the course of twenty years and has shared them in his book entitled Working Out Loud: For a better career and life . Because of his dedication and focus - and the excellent book, of course - he is now a sought-after speaker and coach. John has done what many of us can - share our insights from a life lived, expertise gathered - in whatever field. Think about your life - what insights do you have?
Jeff Grant
I've actually never met Jeff (yet!) - but his wife and I are good friends and so I've been "in the know" about Jeff's world for years. He's quit a corporate career in 2010 and focused full-time on coaching, speaking ... and writing. Creator of Hillseeker , he's an ultra-endurance athlete, does some of the toughest marathons and expeditions in the world ... and shares his insights, his passion for it all, every step of the way. The thing is, once upon a time Jeff was a whopping 32 kilos overweight . He went from there to achieving everything he's achieved and essentially focuses his every day on one thing: "Do what you love." Simple, right? ... And yet how many of us think we can't? Jeff has, just now, published his book Flow State Runner . Jeff is the perfect example to show how much we can achieve with discipline and stamina ... but even more importantly, when we simply give our all to what we love doing.
Whether yours is imagination or insight, fiction or non-fiction - take the above as examples. Read their books, follow their blogs, connect with them across the social media spheres and get inspired. Andy, Jason, Danny, Tim, John and Jeff are people like you and I. It's not about that elusive spark - it's about discipline and stamina, the will to go from having an idea to doing it - through it all - to the moment where you, too, will be an author.
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