How to become the writer (and person) you've always wanted to be

Timothy Pike

May 1

A Letter from the Editor
by Timothy Pike

If you could reinvent yourself from the ground up, what's the first thing you would change?

Would you end a bad habit? Spend less time on social media? Focus more on pursuing your biggest dream?

Whatever your answer, the key to making big changes in your life is intentionality, which means making choices that align with what you truly want.

So how do you do this?

The answer comes to us ready-made—in the form of a book—courtesy of bestselling author and speaker John R. Miles. That book, Passion Struck: Twelve Powerful Principles to Unlock Your Purpose and Ignite Your Most Intentional Life, also inspired a podcast of the same name.

"Our deepest regrets," John says, "stem from unexplored passions, unchased dreams, and undeveloped talents." To prove this, a study was conducted and found that when people had regrets, they were not about mistakes they'd made, but instead about not doing the things they'd wanted to do.

In other words, we're all capable of so much more, and we know it.

If you feel like you're always bouncing around from one thing to the next (living a "pinball life," as John calls it), then the principles of Passion Struck can help you regain control over your life and focus on getting to where you want to be.

"This involves setting clear, actionable goals and taking deliberate steps each day to achieve them," John explains.

Of course, everyone has different goals, but let's be real: how great would it feel to finally publish that novel and get that first glowing review? Just saying.

In my interview with him, John explains what you can do right now, today to start that big change in your life, why your calendar and bank statements are the most accurate reflections of your priorities, and how mosquitos—the deadliest animals on the planet, mind you—often come to us in human form.

Reinvent yourself today →

There's a lot to discover and learn in the May 2024 issue of Books & Buzz Magazine. Let's take a look:

This is the Letter from the Editor in the latest issue of Books & Buzz Magazine. Not a subscriber? Start getting all of our great articles by subscribing for free!

He should have listened to Mom

As a younger man, Emil Rem dutifully followed his mother's advice and became an accountant instead of pursuing his writing dreams. In her mind, being a writer meant he wouldn't be able to pay his bills. But finally, at the age of sixty, and after decades in accounting, Emil decided to rebel—and get his stories down on paper.

And wouldn't you know it, Mom was right all along. "Now I'm miserable and broke," Emil says. "Why? Because I allowed writing to possess me."

Is that a bad thing? I'm not so sure. Bad, perhaps, because there's no Writers Anonymous to turn to for help, as Emil laments. But not so bad in that readers are absolutely loving his stories. Not just for the quirky characters he writes about and the far-flung locations we experience through their eyes, but also for the unpredictability of it all. "The stories became a giddy rollercoaster of amusement one moment, pathos the next," Emil says. "I, like my readers, had no clue where the writing would take me."

In his short piece, we see how a lifetime of travel—including many years spent flying for free as the son of an airline employee—has given Emil so many people and places to write about.

Experience the adventures for yourself →

Your next story is right in front of you

Want to write a novel but don't have any ideas? Award-winning radio journalist and author Bob Brill has a simple solution: look around.

Living in Los Angeles, Bob spends a lot of time in his car, so he's constantly inventing stories about the people he sees while driving. And when he thinks of a good one, he won't risk forgetting it. "I pull over, get out my iPhone, and punch record," Bob says. "I take about thirty seconds to put the idea into a possible story and save it for later."

Once you have the idea, where do you go from there? "Taking that idea and then using your own imagination to develop it," he explains, "is where you as a writer come in."

Bob, as we learn, drives thirty-seven miles to work every day, so his commutes have brought him countless story ideas. And based on the few he shares with us, we can see there's no limit to a writer's imagination.

Get your next story idea →

When good intentions aren't good enough

Author and publisher Ann Aubitz knows how hard it is, despite your best intentions, to actually sit down and write on any given day. "In the whirlwind of daily life," she says, "finding the time and mental clarity to pursue writing projects can feel like an insurmountable challenge."

Fortunately, it's a challenge Ann knows well how to conquer. In her article, she reveals exactly how to do it, sharing seven tips you can incorporate into your daily routine. If your schedule is a little unconventional, don't worry—knowing her advice is not one-size-fits-all, Ann encourages you to adapt her ideas to suit your lifestyle and creative flow.

Make more time appear →

Enjoy this month's issue of Books & Buzz Magazine!

To your success,