Category: Writing

When the Writing Stops

I’m creatively empty — and I’m now at peace with that

There was a time, in 2014, when a full-time writing career seemed possible. My pieces were garnering tens of thousands of views, established writers and quasi-famous people were reaching out with kind words about something I had written, I was being interviewed as a talking head, and I was taking meetings with outlets about joining their teams. I had other very cool opportunities. The money just wasn’t there, and once I learned the economics of writing online I doubted it would ever be there, but I still had dreams…

It wasn’t a pipe dream and it wasn’t necessarily an attainable goal. It hovered somewhere between the two.

Then, something happened.

The attention economy changed. The internet changed. The way people consume content changed, especially the way they read (they don’t; they watch videos). The algorithm changed. My readership changed. I changed too — I moved away from my primary niche (hip-hop) and even my secondary niche (NBA) to write about other topics. This made me happier creatively, but almost certainly less successful.

Tags Happiness, Life, Success, Writing

Books Writing

Ryan Holiday’s Best Book Is Not About Stoicism

Post author By Christopher Pierznik
Post date September 18, 2023
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I’ve been a Ryan Holiday superfan since 2012.

He’s a modern-day genius and my favorite writer. I was fortunate that I was able to meet him and see him speak in a small venue back in 2017.

In the years since, Holiday’s popularity has exploded. He has spoken to senators and professional sports teams, executives and armed forces. While Holiday has become well-known for his work focusing on Stoicism, the best book of his entire oeuvre is actually one that is not dedicated to that philosophical discipline.

Tags Books, Ryan Holiday, Stoicism

Writing

The Lost John Grisham Story – “The Birthday” (1995)

Post author By Christopher Pierznik
Post date December 20, 2022
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Of the numerous casualties of the digital revolution, one of the most disheartening is the demise of the magazine.

Tags John Grisham, Magazines, Short Story, South, Writing

Writing

My Best Writing of 2022

As both my personal and professional lives became not just busier, but also more complex, my writing output — and my readership and reach — has declined.

However, I do feel like almost everything I do publish these days is worthy of being clicked on and read. I couldn’t always honestly say that. Still, some things are better than others so I’ve collected the best things I wrote this year — a tradition that dates all the way back to 2015. It’s like my own personal literary version of Spotify Wrapped.

So please take a look below and, if something strikes you as interesting, please give it a click.

Career Writing

The Endangered Species of Online Content Creators

Post author By Christopher Pierznik
Post date September 20, 2022
1 Comment on The Endangered Species of Online Content Creators

We’re all dinosaurs and the asteroid is already in sight

Let’s get right to it. According to a report by the Europol Innovation Lab that leverages other books and articles, “Experts estimate that as much as 90% of online content may be synthetically generated by 2026. Synthetic media refers to media generated or manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI).”

Tags AI, Content Creation, Technology, Writing

Writing

My Best Writing of 2021

This is the post where I lay out the best things I wrote this year. Maybe, in a year like this when my productivity was lower, it might include everything I wrote. We’ll never know (don’t check).

Tags Books, Children, Don Winslow, Fatherhood, Health, Hip-Hop, John Grisham, Life, LIfe Lessons, Love, Rap, Reading, Ryan Holiday, Time Management, Time Maximization, Weight Loss, Writing, Zack Snyder

Career Life Writing

I’ve Given Up My Dream of Being a (Full-Time) Writer

Post author By Christopher Pierznik
Post date July 8, 2021
1 Comment on I’ve Given Up My Dream of Being a (Full-Time) Writer

“For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, ‘It might have been.’”
— John Greenleaf Whittier

It was always just a dream.

Tags Career, Dreams, Happiness, Life, Writer's Block, Writing

Writing

My Best Writing of 2020

Everyone knows 2020 was not a typical year. In fact, it was probably the weirdest and most stressful twelve months most of us have ever experienced.

Some of the items I wrote this year were in direct response to what was happening in the world – both in macro and the micro sense – while others could’ve been published any other time.

The biggest change to my writing routine was my output – or lack thereof.

Tags Batman, Best of, Best of 2020, Business, Business School, Career, Children, Fatherhood, Film, Grad School, Hip-Hop, LeBron James, Life, Rap, Sports, Wu-Tang Clan

Fatherhood Life Writing

I’m Keeping a COVID-19 Journal

Post author By Christopher Pierznik
Post date April 9, 2020
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I’m not a journaler by nature.

Yes, I have written down my innermost thoughts on occasion, but generally I jot down short quick notes on almost everything that pops into my brain that I then compile to use later for writing that I will publish, either here or in my newsletter.

Yet I felt that living through a time when a viral droplet infection — a silent, invisible killer — raced across the globe and was documented in real time was as good an occasion as any to keep a daily record of my thoughts.

Tags COVID-19, Health, Journal, Life, Writing

Writing

My Very Best Writing of 2019

Post author By Christopher Pierznik
Post date December 16, 2019
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Is it really going to be 2020?

Tags Best of, Best of 2019, Career, Children, Creativity, Fatherhood, Hip-Hop, Life, Music, Rap, Sports, Work, Work Life Balance