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If you’re a decent writer, one tip that will take your writing over the top is to lose the word “that.” I learned this from William Zennser in his book “On Writing Well.” Instead of saying “I believe that we should…” try “I believe we should…” The word “that” makes the sentence weak. It loses some of it’s punch and makes the writer sound apologetic. Go through your latest blog or chapter in a book and take out the word “that” as many times as you can. Treat it like a cuss word from now on, that is it’s okay to use sometimes, but sparingly and only when it actually can’t be removed. Ridding your writing of the word “that” is much harder than you think. It seems to sneak into every piece I write. Often it’s not until the third or fourth editorial pass I get rid of all the excess “that’s.” Sadly, even in this blog entry I had to delete a few. They’re like cockroaches! I hope that this tip helps your writing. Or better said, I hope this helps your writing.

The blogosphere is abuzz with advice for the new year. We’re being given tricks and tips on getting ahead, becoming more efficient and so forth. But as a guy who helps people live better stories, I have to tell you the best advice I’ve ever heard is simple: Work on your character and a good life will come to you. Of course we have to define “good life” and we also have to acknowledge this is far from a “biblical law” that is destined for success. To be sure, nothing is for sure. But I like the idea and find it comforting. I like the idea that I can stop trying to control the people around me and just work on myself, just work on being a slightly better Don. Does it mean everything will be great? No, not really. Conflict is part of every good life. No meaningful story is void of conflict. But what it does mean is that in every context, I can always control what I can control, and that’s me. Just because there’s a storm on the ocean doesn’t mean there has to be a storm within me. Here are some interesting camera angles I’ve [...]

I confess I read this book because of all the hoopla on the internet. John Piper hates it, Mark Driscoll wants to say how much he hates it but is tired of launching his enemies onto the New York Times bestsellers list so he talks about it without talking about it. People everywhere are talking about it. Man, I’m a sucker for controversy so I placed my order. Surprisingly, the book has been out of print for a while and I could only get this used, battered copy, and it cost me more than the sale price from twenty years ago. Two words: WORTH IT! Love Wins is a romance novel by Barbara Cartland (who knew John Piper read this stuff? So few men talk about it even though we ALL read them ALL the time! John Piper and I are SO BESTIES NOW!) Love Wins: Caught in a fierce love triangle, Joan June is torn between her dentist and her chiropractor. The dentist has more money, obviously, but is less open to the spiritual ideas and natural practices of the chiropractor. One gives her security and the other pops her back for free and introduces her to the ancient [...]

Today is the last day to get the pre-registration price for the Storyline Conference. If you’re needing a bit of clarity in your life, or wanting to jump-start the story you are living, come visit Portland in June with hundreds of other people who will be mapping out their personal storyline at our two-day conference. How long has it been since you’ve performed a life evaluation? Here are five reasons to attend Storyline:   1. Because you can walk out of the Storyline conference better understanding what you want to do with the rest of your life.   2. Because you’ll come to understand why some roles in life don’t work for you and others seem to work great. You’ll understand the “kind of character” you play in life’s story and be able to shape your story around that role. 3. You’ll have a broad map showing you where you currently are in your story and be able to list the priorities you can focus on now so the story is as impacting as you hope it can be. 4. You’ll meet people from all over the country who are interested in the kind of life you are interested in [...]

Steve Taylor heard I was writing about creativity and sent me an e-mail with some advice he’d received. The advice was simple: 1. A creator loves what they do. 2. A creator knows how to do what they do. 3. A creator does what they do. You’re probably thinking “duh” right? But when I apply this to my life, there is value. 1. I fell in love with writing during high school. I wrote an article for the youth group newsletter and received positive feedback and that was it. My love affair with words began. It was my new identity, and that impure motive, perhaps, turned into a genuine appreciation for the written word. I’ve not stopped thinking about how to phrase ideas since. A love for the art is important, because without it, you won’t pull through. If you want to the identity of a rock star, good luck. If you love music, you may get the identity but hopefully you won’t care. You and your love will just make great music and enjoy life. 2. Malcolm Gladwell points out that the average “genius” is no genius at all, but has spent ten-thousand hours honing their craft. Steinbeck’s early [...]