Speaking
Transformation comes through practice. But no practice survives without both a vision worth pursuing and a structure to sustain it when things get hard. I’ve spent fifteen years teaching people to practice, through stories that inspire and principles that survive the trip home.
Talks I give
Practice Makes… What?
You have used your non-dominant hand every day of your life. But why is it so hard to write your name with it? Because just doing something and practicing it deliberately are entirely different things. In this talk about deliberate practice, I trace what separates activity from practice, from the shape of the mastery curve to what neuroscientists have found practice does to the physical structure of the brain. Audiences are challenged to name the place they feel clumsiest, decide how good they actually want to be at a chosen skill, and begin the process of transformation.
What Does It Take to Come Up With a Great Idea?
Anthony Doerr’s Pulitzer Prize winning All the Light We Cannot See took ten years to write, from initial idea to publication. But for Doerr it was never one idea, it was a combination of three. In this talk about the creative process, I show how each of Doerr’s three main characters arrived separately: one on a commuter train, one in a news story out of Iraq, and one on a foggy night walk along the ramparts of Saint-Malo. Creatives are challenged to stay awake to the moments when ideas arrive, be patient with the ones that are not finished yet, and get the perspective to finally discover the connections in their own creative work.
What Makes a Book Idea Worth Writing?
Books change lives. There are books that you’ve read that changed your life. But how do you actually take an idea and turn it into a real, actual book? In this practical talk for creatives, founders, speakers, and anyone with a book idea, I talk about how to take an idea and build a process that will lead to a finished book, drawing from my own experience as a ghostwriter who’s guided people to 6-figure book deals with major imprints, and busting myths about writing and publishing along the way.
Where I’ve spoken
- The Write Practice Retreat
- The Write Practice Conference
- Escape the Plot Forest Summit
- Eagle Rise Speaker Summit
- Plywood Foundations
- Voice and Style Summit
- DIY MFA Telesummit
- Tribe Conference
- ATL Ideas / Plywood Presents
- World Domination Summit
- Bestseller Summit
About Me
I’m a Wall Street Journal bestselling ghostwriter and the founder of The Write Practice, one of the largest writing communities online. I started The Write Practice in 2011, and since then over 30 million people have read something I’ve written.
I’ve written more than twenty books, most of them with other authors, working with Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette, and independent presses.
I’m also an experienced interviewer. I hosted the Character Test podcast for several years, drawing stories out of New York Times bestselling authors including Kevin J. Anderson and retired Navy SEAL Jason Redman.
Formats
Keynote
Twenty to sixty minutes. I love telling great stories, teaching life-changing principles, and then giving people something simple and practical they can work on at home.
Creative Workshop
More than a dozen retreats and workshops led, from three-hour sessions to multi-day programs.
Online Masterclass
More than a hundred taught, live and recorded, for audiences into the thousands.
Panel or Onstage Interview
I have experience both hosting and being a panelist.
Podcast Guest
Practice, writing, creativity, ghostwriting, or the software I build for writers.
Tell me about your event
Tell me about your audience, event date, and what you want people to leave with.