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Transcript

A Word After a Word is Power · The Daily Writer

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Rider Podcast, where we bring you tips and inspiration each day to help you build habits for writing success.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: For more resources, including your free Daily Rider Starter Kit, visit DailyWriterLife.com.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: In a world of equality and opportunity, we usually talk about power as if it's a bad thing.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: But power is like time, money, or any other resource.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: It can be used for good or for bad.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: We writers don't usually think about what we do in terms of power.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: We would rather use words like creativity, craft, platform, audience, or maybe even entrepreneurship.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: But power?
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Power is a concept that seems a little bit old-fashioned, if not outright outdated these days.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: But keep in mind that power is just influence.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: When you have power as a writer, you can change people's minds.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: You can tell a story that has impact.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: You can write books, blog posts, articles, or other content to influence other people.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: So if power as a writer is a good thing, how do you get it?
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: Well, there are a lot of ways you can probably get power, and those ways can include having the right connections or sometimes even just getting lucky and getting some certain position or winding up on a bestseller list when you weren't really expecting it.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: But those are external situations that you can't really predict or control.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: There's only one surefire way to accumulate power as a writer.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Margaret Atwood, the author of The Handmaid's Tale, said it best.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: She said, a word after a word after a word is power.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: And by the way, this was the title of a 2019 documentary where she discusses her life and work.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the meaning of this phrase is pretty obvious.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: When you put down one word after another, eventually you wind up with something that you can share.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: And when you accumulate those words and they become books or screenplays or speeches or other types of content, they can have more power than you can possibly imagine.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Do you remember the 1985 song That Tears for Fear saying?
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: It was called Everybody Wants to Rule the World.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: Well, there's probably some truth to that.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: However, not everybody can write or even wants to write.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody wants to be powerful, everybody wants to have influence, but not everybody's willing to do the work to be a great writer.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: And that's too bad because those people are missing out on an incredible opportunity to use that power, the power of words, to influence other people.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: But we know better.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: We know that our words have power.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: So let's get out there today and put down not just one word, but a word after a word after a word.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: Here's today's question.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: What do you think about the concept of being powerful because of your words?
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: Does that concept make you feel comfortable or uncomfortable?
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: And why?
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, before I wrap up here, I want to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by the Daily Writer Club.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: You've heard me talk about the club before, so you know it's a place where people are finding success.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's a place where people are growing their writing businesses.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's a place where we're encouraging people and giving them the tools and resources to publish their books and to make progress on the projects that are important to them as writers.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: So you may have heard me talk about this, but my question to you is have you joined us yet?
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: Or are you trying to fly solo?
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: Well, if you're tired of trying to do this writing thing on your own, I would suggest to you that the Daily Rider Club is the absolute perfect place for you to find the encouragement and support that you need.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: So make sure and check it out at DailyRiderLife.comslash club.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, and I'll see you tomorrow.