TheIsleofMan.Net Interview: 'Jeff Goins from GoinsWriter.com'

Jeff Goins is the founder of GoinsWriter.com. His blog and the majority of his work focuses on helping writers learn how to become better writers, how to get published and how to keep going when they want to just give up.

The truth of the matter is that Jeff could have easily turned down my interview request and I'd have never thought poorly of him for doing so. He gets more pageviews in a day than I get in a month (and even that may be giving myself too much credit). His willingness to sacrifice some of his very valuable time to answer a few of my questions says a lot about his character and just how genuinely nice of a guy he is.

Without further ado, here is my interview with Jeff Goins:

Kevin Haggerty: Jeff, thanks for carving out some time in your schedule to hang out and answer some questions. I really appreciate it.

Jeff Goins: No problem. Thanks for having me.

KH: For those who have never visited your site, talk a little about goinswriter.com. What is the purpose of your site?

JG: Well, that's kind of a tough question. I mean, the purpose is to express myself. At the most basic level, if that's all I do — share some thoughts through the written word — then I've done my part. I've succeeded. That said, I do try to use the blog to help other writers succeed — both internally and externally. What I mean by that is most writers' biggest struggle is themselves — their own disbelief and doubt. So I offer a daily kick in the points of motivation and sometimes call out common excuses for not creating. I also want to help writers figure out how to market themselves and build a platform, so they don't have to be starving artists. And on top of all that, I share the occasional musing on something I've been mulling over for awhile. My goal, in all of this, is to be completely transparent with the writing process and creative life. I try to share what I'm struggling with and learning, and hopefully, it helps someone.

KH: Who are your favorite authors, web or otherwise?

JG: Online: Seth Godin, Michael Hyatt, Robert Bruce, Nick Kristoff, Ali Luke, Ann Voskamp, and probably plenty of others I'm forgetting. Offline: Anne Lamott, Steven Pressfield, C.S. Lewis, Frank Herbert, and lots more.

KH: What are three books that every blogger NEEDS to read?

JG: Tribes by Seth Godin, 31 Days to Building a Better Blog by Darren Rowse, and The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.

KH: You essentially write about writing. Do you ever get burned out on that topic? How do you respond to that feeling?

JG: I never do. That's the fear when you focus on a particular topic — that you'll run out — but I've found the exact opposite is true. Creativity works best with restriction. That said, sometimes, I feel a little pigeon-holed and I'll branch out and do something unexpected. The readers seem to like that. (Just between you and me, though, I don't really write about writing. I write about life; I just use writing as the front for that.) ;-)

KH: If you had the freedom and time to start an entirely new blog that was about something else, what would it be about?

JG: I would love to write a blog/magazine with a weekly story. Initially, it'd be narrative nonfiction (i.e. memoir) and maybe eventually move into short story format. I would love to do that.

KH: What's your favorite thing about being a writer? What's your least favorite thing about being a writer?

JG: I get to do it just about anywhere. It's a low-tech activity that engages almost all my senses and captivates my attention. The worst part is it can be really lonely.

KH: You're from Chicago. Are you a sports fans? Who are your favorite teams? Favorite athlete(s)?

JG: Nope. Not really. But when I was a kid, I was a fan of the Bears and the Bulls. I got to grow up seeing amazing players like Mike Singletary and Jim McMahon play. I was alive when the bulls pulled there "ThreePeat" championships. I also went to my fair share of Cubs and Socks games. Favorite athlete? Probably "Tin Cup."

KH: We like to talk pop culture here at The Isle. In keeping with that theme, what is your favorite television show that is currently on the air? Favorite show of all time?

JG: I'm really digging Mad Men. My wife and I buy the DVDs and watch it a season at a time. On a lighter note, we have switched from die-hard fans of The Office to Modern Family. Favorite show of all time? Maybe... My So-Called Life.

KH: Continuing with pop culture, we also like to play word association. Here's an example. If you were to say: "Larry the Cable Guy," I'd respond with: "Lowest common denominator."

Let's do this.

Will Ferrell: Anchorman

Dick Clark: Still alive?

Reality TV: Bleh.

Social networking: The best of times, the worst of times.

Seth Godin: Genius.

Angry Birds: Angry what?

The Twitter Whale: I remember it well.

Nickelback: You call this music?

Steve Jobs: Sad, but heroic

Bigfoot: Harry & the Hendersons



KH: What inspires you to write?

JG: Anything, really. What inspires and challenges me most, though, is stories of other writers. I'm reading Stephen King's memoir right now, and it's amazing. Love hearing the grisly tales of writers who have been down in the dumps and succeeded. It's amazing how much "success" is really just about loving the craft.

KH: What's the best advice about blogging you have ever received? The worst?

JG: "Drip, drip, drip." —Seth Godin

KH: If you could give just one nugget of wisdom to aspiring bloggers, what would it be?

JG: If you will be patient and persevere where others do not, you win.

KH: Do you think in ten years, hard-copy newspapers will still exist?

JG: Probably. But the business model will make about as much sense as it does now.

KH: What is a big mistake you made when you were just starting as a blogger that you could share with us so we learn from your misstep?

JG: I thought people would automatically care about me and what I had to say. I took their attention for granted. I did this for four years and paid dearly for it.

KH: You're one of the speakers at the upcoming "Killer Tribes Conference." Are you excited about that? What specifically will you be talking about?

JG: No, I am pretty bummed about it. I emailed Bryan several times and asked, "Do I have to?" ;-) Actually, I am really loving the opportunity to speak more. It's one of my newer passions that I'm pursuing. I used to act and do public speaking during college, and I'm getting to re-develop that skill. It's fun. I'll be telling my story of how I started a new blog from scratch and built it to a respectable community in less than a year.

KH: These days, it seems like everyone fancies themselves to be either a blogger or a photographer (and sometimes both). Why do you think there's been such a magnetism to these two specific creative fields?

JG: Because the barriers to entry for these skills used to be so high and is now so low. You can buy a really nice camera and start a photography business for less than $1000. You can launch a website and become your own publisher for $10 a month. This is an amazing time to be alive. It's call disintermediation, which is a big word that means "no middle men." When there's a gatekeeper for something of high perceived value for so long and then there's not, it's compelling. I also think we live in an age where everyone can be a journalist. Social media has propagated this; it's not altogether bad, but it does have some obvious, inherent risks.

KH: Has the simplicity of starting a blog watered down the field, in general?

JG: I think so. It used to be remarkable to just have a blog. The content didn't have to be that good or that well-polished. Being a blogger was extraordinary in itself. Now, everyone seems to have a blog. It takes a lot to stand out.

KH: What impact do you think blogging has had on society? How about the impact on the way news reported?

JG: I read an interesting article about this a few days ago. Blogging is, essentially, copywriting (i.e. writing for an audience). Those who are particularly marketing-minded have seen this and taken advantage of it. The whole Internet right now is structured around the promise of immediate gratification. Obviously, this has had an impact on culture and society, so it's only natural that the media has tried to leverage it. I think we're seeing a lot of people trying to fight over the same limited attention, and it's getting more and more competitive. That's why we see more sensationalist headlines, more exclamation points on Twitter, more ALL-CAPS subject lines in our inboxes. It all seems to be coming to a head.

KH: If you could do any other profession, what would it be and why?

JG: Park ranger. It was my first and maybe favorite job (okay, I was an assistant groundskeeper, technically). I love being outside.

KH: Did I miss anything? Anything else you'd like to plug or promote?

JG: Well, for those who are interested in becoming better writers, I recommend they download my free eBook. It'll help you begin by falling in love with the craft: http://goinswriter.com/writers-manifesto. I also have a couple of eBooks bundled together and on-sale for $5 — a pretty good deal if you asked me. If you want to get published in a magazine or eventually write a book, these eBooks will help: http://goinswriter.com/get-published

KH: Thanks so much for your time, Jeff!

JG: My pleasure, Kevin. It was fun.


Check out Jeff Goins' website HERE. Follow him on Twitter HERE.