TCK Publishing Videos

November is almost here—and for writers, that means only one thing: NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month has taken the world by storm since it was first cooked up in 1999. The goal is simple: write a 50,000-word novel in one month, starting on November 1 and finishing by 11:59pm on November 30. That’s right, you have 30 days to write 50,000 words. Simple goal, tough challenge! Hundreds of thousands of writers take part every year, challenging themselves to let go of their inner editors and just write like the wind. After all, the first step to becoming a published author is having a completed book, and to do that, you just need to write . The hard work of editing, revising, polishing, and submitting comes later. First things first: you have to roll up your sleeves, commit to writing, and actually get a draft you can build on. Many successful authors have gotten their start by cranking out a draft during NaNoWriMo, including Hugh Howey and Marissa Mayer. Will you be the next...

  Brian David Crane is a serial entrepreneur. He sold his first company at age 24. He has helped launch six different million-dollar brands, including archives.com , which he sold for $100 million. Brian has been a digital nomad since 2014 and he’s here to talk about the downsides of the digital nomad lifestyle, and why you might want to rethink selling everything you own and traveling around the world. Brian has had an entrepreneurial streak since he was a teenager. His first business was a lawnmowing company that he started at the age of 14. When he was 17, he started a recycling business with his mother that helped him pay his way through college. He sold that business after he graduated from college at 24. Brian decided to travel the world to find himself. He was supposed to see 25 different countries during his 25 th year. He canceled the trip three countries in, because it had no purpose and it didn’t seem to be helping him much. He lost all his money in the financial c...

This is going to sound like bragging, but there’s a point to it. Bear with me. I went to my first writing conference as a keynote speaker. I’d already been making a full-time living as a writer for three years, and I had come to that after more than 10 years of owning a small business. I had a perspective on the business side of freelancing that other writers I knew simply did not, and (because that small business had been teaching martial arts), I was a pretty okay public speaker. Pay attention, because this part’s important. I attended my first writing conference as a keynote speaker, and I was still blown away by how much I didn’t know. For the next few thousand words, I’m going to tell you everything I’ve learned about writing conferences, but the most important thing is this: Until you’ve attended one, you will have no idea how much you don’t know about the business and craft of writing. Until you’ve attended several , you won’t have anything approaching a complete concept ...

You look at your desk to see piles of papers that are far from organized. You mentally add up the tasks you have to get done for the day and know you will do them—right after a nap. And you can’t even bring yourself to look at your cluttered email inbox. Sound familiar? Let’s face it— all of us have done this at some point in our lives. If you constantly procrastinate on assignments or deadlines, avoid responding to emails, or prepare at the last minute for meetings, you’re not alone. You might even think this means you aren’t motivated. Some experts believe lack of success happens because of “selective motivation,” or the idea that you are only motivated to do certain activities. And while that concept may seem accurate, it’s not entirely true. You are always motivated to do something ; whether or not your choices are productive is the real question. Spoiler alert: you are motivated. You are motivated every single day. You are motivated to eat, sleep, and practice good hygien...

Remember the Amtrak Writers Residency program? If you don’t, it was pretty awesome. Amtrak judges (yes, that Amtrak: the US train service) picked a handful of writers from 600 applicants. The winners were given a free sleeper car with a desk and a window for a round trip and a long-distance trip. They got to ride the rails across the United States, writing when they wanted and eating for free in the dining cars. Amtrak regularly does residencies of one kind or another, but the writing residency is (currently) a thing of the past. But don’t be sad. The Amtrak Writers Residency Program is just one of dozens of amazing experiences for writers around the world—some of which involve travel, some of which are closer to home but no less amazing. Here are some of our favorites. 1. Get Out of the World at Creativcastle From the website: CreativCastle is a migrating creative refuge in the world’s most fascinating castles. Whether you’re writing a book or building a business, we’ll giv...