Stephen Webber ✺

For a book I published back in 2020, it was sweet to see it rank #2 in "Creativity - Self Help" next to Rick Rubin. Bestseller rankings come and go, but it's cool to give Rubin some company

Growing your own author platform works because it's a lifelong resource. It all starts with 10 minutes a day and a coach. With a solid writing practice, 6 things happen: - You get words on the page - You strengthen your focus - You unload emotional baggage - You get better at "eating the frog" - You're less intimidated by the blank page - You bring clarity to your thoughts for the rest of the day Compare this with the claims of the latest "writing software." You don't need to learn some special tool or technique. You need to finish what you start. Use whatever tools & tricks you want. I know writers who work best in PowerPoint. I'm not going to force them to use something else. My job is to help you finish what you start. I do this by: - Getting to know your unique style, voice, and vision. - Helping you connect the dots and keep momentum. Sound simple? It isn't. But this is work that I absolutely love doing. I put my clients first. And I've worked with authors from all walks of life. Total word count from happy clients on my testimonials page: 9500+ I have 3 spots remaining for February. DM if interested. I would love to learn more about you and your project.

I wrote an entire novel backwards. It was about the most brutal slog imaginable. But it taught me a huge time-saving trick. It happened like this: 1) I showed up to write every day. 2) I skimmed through my draft and got several ideas. 3) I wrote a new first chapter. Then, the next day... 1) I wrote a new first chapter. And then, 1) I wrote another first chapter before the previous first chapter. I literally wrote the whole book nearly entirely backward. What used to be chapter one later fell toward the end of the book. Time, you see, only flows in one direction. 🤔 Don't try to write a story backwards. Do this instead: • Devote a few writing sessions to map your story in high elevation mode. How to do this: - Freewrite to explore relationships between characters and themes. Let things be abstract, vague, or nonspecific. - Explore plot dynamics. What do your characters like and dislike, how do they differ from each other, and how do they feel about each other and various aspects of the world? Write the histories. Build the world. The more you write in high elevation mode, the more clarity you have on things like: • The effect you want to create • The general ordering of events • The dynamics between elements such as settings and characters • The textures and flavors of the main parts of your story High-elevation writing gives you buckets of useful content. You can see your entire story from beginning, middle, and end. When you do this, you can write your story in any order. Because you know what belongs where.

For years, I hated social media. I smugly deleted Facebook and my old Twitter account years ago. So here I am, and starting from scratch.

People balk at the idea of adopting a daily 20-minute freewriting ritual. "I don't have that kind of time." Time yourself the next time you pop onto social media.

I used a simple technique to draft an entire book in three days. Anyone can do this. "Sketching" exploded my efficiency as a writer. Not drawing. Sketch using words. The idea behind sketching? Just put down the main ideas. Make a map of your terrain. Why this works: Writing involves making a lot of decisions. The right ideas, the right words, the right order... Most people can only write in short bursts. Because they're trying to do everything at the same time. You can't be effective when your attention is fragmented. That's why I want to show you how to sketch. Focus on a single piece of the puzzle. How to sketch: - Freewrite about your project. Write without stopping. Describe the most important bits. Writing a chapter? Sketch the chapter. Writing an article? Sketch the whole article from start to finish. Force yourself to continue until you're done. If you get confused, keep writing. If you write everything backward, fix it later. Force yourself to continue until you're done. - Once you have this sketch, use it as an outline. - Begin another nonstop writing session to fill in each section of the outline. The author @Rachel_Aaron wrote about a similar technique in her book 2k to 10k. She credits doing a preliminary sketch with a huge performance leap in her daily writing process. 10k+ words per day is insane. Time to go insane. Have you used this technique? ♥️ Like/Comment below. 💪 RT appreciated - share the love of focused, deep work.

why don’t we have a society entirely composed of people pursuing their life calling?

I see new creators underestimate the grind of growing a platform. - You blame yourself. - You think you must be missing something. Two traits will get you through: - 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. Nothing feels better than the discipline of growth. - 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆. Show up to learn.

You are the average of your five closest friends. What picture does this paint for your: - habits - income - life outlook Are there areas where you're bringing the average down a notch?

The headwaters of a river are always pure. The morning is each day's blank slate. The quality of my creative practice controls the quality of my creative output.

When I take care of my creativity, the rest takes care of itself: - productivity at work - fulfilling relationships - balanced emotional state

The essence of philosophy is action. What that means for me right now: - 𝘏𝘰𝘸 I do something is more important than 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 I do. - I should take action whether or not I have clarity about all the details.

The first time I did a writing marathon with @davoroebot, it was for 24 solid hours. Here were the rules: - Minimum 1 letter per second. You can go faster, but you can never drop below this. - 15 minute break every 4 hours.

Looking to pivot your career into content creation? Start by honing your writing discipline with a 20-minute freewrite every morning. Explore your: - values... be uncompromising. What matters most to you? - interests... what do you want to go deep with? - vision... what should the future look like? - enemies... what do you want to triumph over?

Ends in 24 hours! I wrote this guide to help you: - start a side gig - launch your platform - inject creativity into your writing - pivot careers... and build your own empire Last chance to get it -- xitter.cf/offgridauthor/st…

I've written over half a million words each year for the past 15 years. I've mentored bestselling authors and writers at all stages. I worked as Head of Content for a tech startup authoring social media, PR, and technical guides. The secret: - dedicated daily practice - solid content strategy I'm using these exact steps to grow my business on X. Want my playbook? It's free for 48 hours. 1. Like + comment "LFG" 2. Follow me I'll send you the playbook. RTs are greatly appreciated but not required.

❤️‍🔥 Hot tip: Earbuds suck Change your life today I recommend using open-ear wireless earphones like these amzn.to/42gCunc - they don't cover up your earhole - you can still hear everything - they work through BONE CONDUCTION: "optimal volume and rich bass delivered through your cheekbone, anytime, anywhere..." - it's cooler than it sounds I love listening to audiobooks with these. I love them I HATE earbuds don't even talk to me about earbuds earbuds are a conspiracy I don't know how, but somehow there might be brain slugs in those things. - They're uncomfortable - They might make you deaf - They sound awful - They look weird to me - Back away from me with your Airpods Try them. And tell the others.

"There are no bad teams, only bad leaders." Nonfiction books are usually full of padding and fluff. Not so with Extreme Ownership. Highly recommended audiobook. I'll be listening to it a second time. Take this for example: The authors tell the story of two boat teams during SEAL training. Team A was crushing it in first place. The leader was solid. Each team member knew how to bring out the best in themselves and each other. Team B sucked. They were in last place. The leader and everyone else focused on themselves -- on their pain and struggles. They constantly bickered. They didn't believe victory was possible. The instructors decided to test leadership's impact by swapping these teams' leaders. Team B ended up winning. Why? The outstanding leader from Team A communicated the mission more effectively, motivated the team, and fostered cooperation. There are no bad teams, only bad leaders. Although... Even with the lousy leader from Team B, Team A ended up in second place. Why did they still perform well even with a bad leader? Each team member had already cultivated total ownership. In turn, they empowered their leader to better lead. The leader is a team member, too. - Leadership is the single biggest factor in any team’s performance. - Whether a team succeeds or fails is all up to the leader. By leader, I don't only mean "the guy at the top." Extreme ownership is about everyone embracing self-leadership. Take ownership---not just for your personal stuff---for everything that impacts the team's mission. What will happen if you: - Make no excuses - Strive to constantly improve - Bring out the best qualities in others