A lot of people struggle to write for an audience because in the beginning you have no feedback loops. The opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference. Nobody bothers replying with a “meh…” You can slave away at the keyboard, throwing words at the wall to see what sticks… Or you can learn the fundamentals of what I call bingeworthy writing: techniques that make your stories, posts, and emails unputdownable.

Reminder: There is no tariff on writing online.

In light of Amazon's recent changes regarding ebook ownership, if you purchased any of my books on Amazon or Audible and want the actual files please shoot me a message with your email. I'll happily provide you a Bookfunnel link to download them. No proof of purchase necessary.

Most authors would have looked for a day job. But Sanderson went to his publisher and convinced them to release a mass-market paperback version of Mistborn with a new cover. It sold out in a week. And he never looked back.

After all those years of work, he finally sold his first book (Elantris) for $10,000 (paid out over 3 years). Instead of a sequel, Sanderson chucked conventional wisdom and wrote book one (Mistborn) in a new series. Mistborn sold worse than Elantris. Brandon's career hit what he called a “death spiral.”

At 28, Sanderson had written 13 books & spent 8 years getting rejected by publishers. "I wrote 13 novels before I sold one. Book number 12 and I’m like, What am I doing? Maybe I’m really bad at this."

You can get people to read through a lot of average writing if you snag them with a great hook first.

Don't treat writing like an art. Treat it like a science if you want to get good. Dissect. Study. Test.

The older I get, the more I realize that “seasons” aren’t just how the weather is outside. There's certain parts of the year when exercising, reading, starting new projects, or [fill in the blank] will come more naturally. For example, studies show it's easier to make life changes at the beginning of fall because we're conditioned from years of “back to school” season. You may find it's easier to write in the mornings in the summer and evenings in the winter. Or vice versa for your workouts. Pay attention whenever things feel effortless or harder than usual.

Friendly reminder that the reason you're not “making it” writing online isn't because nobody gets you or the algorithm hates you. When pessimistic thoughts play in your head, remind yourself it's as simple and hard as showing up regularly and figuring out how to get 1% better with each post. My best work usually happens the day after I'm tempted to quit.