#304 – Staying Present as a Writer: Learning by Living and Wisdom from Anne Lamott (Free-Writing Session)
Welcome to episode 304 of the Spun Today podcast, where we dive deep into the creative life—its challenges, joys, and moments of breakthrough. In this free writing session, Tony Ortiz shares his latest writing stats, practical tips for writers, and an honest look into the ways presence and mindful living can fuel the creative process. This episode explores inspiration from Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, actionable advice on tackling writer’s block, and the value of noticing the world like a child. Tony Ortiz also introduces a bite-sized writing tool for overcoming stuck points, breaks down actionable writing tips from social media, and spotlights a personal freewriting piece about embracing life’s constant transitions. Whether you’re a seasoned wordsmith or just starting out, this episode is packed with creative motivation, strategies for productivity, and reminders to keep writing—one bird, one story, and one moment at a time.
Check out all free-writing pieces at: spuntoday.com/freewriting.
The Spun Today Podcast is a Podcast that is anchored in Writing, but unlimited in scope. Give it a whirl.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/spuntoday
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spuntoday/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@spuntoday
Website: http://www.spuntoday.com/home
Newsletter: http://www.spuntoday.com/subscribe
Links referenced in this episode:
Writing Advice from: https://www.instagram.com/schoolofplot
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott: https://amzn.to/43IfVcG
Transitions in Life: https://www.spuntoday.com/freewriting/transitions-in-life
Get your Podcast Started Today! https://signup.libsyn.com/?promo_code=SPUN
(Use Promo code SPUN and get up to 2-months of free service!)
Check out all the Spun Today Merch, and other ways to help support this show! https://www.spuntoday.com/support
Check out my Books
Make Way for You – Tips for getting out of your own way
ÁBRЕТЕ CAMINO: CONSEJOS PARA DEJAR DE SER TU PROPIO OBSTÁCULO (Spanish Edition)
Melted Cold – A Collection of Short Stories
http://www.spuntoday.com/books/ (e-Book, Paperback and Hardcover are now available)
Fill out my Spun Today Questionnaire if you’re passionate about your craft. I’ll share your insight and motivation on the Podcast: http://www.spuntoday.com/questionnaire/
Shop on Amazon using this link, to support the Podcast: https://amzn.to/4km592l
Shop on iTunes using this link, to support the Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewTop?genreId=38&id=27820&popId=42&uo=10
Shop at the Spun Today store for Mugs, Notebooks, T-Shirts and more: https://spuntoday-shop.fourthwall.com/
Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
Outro Background Music: https://www.bensound.com
Spun Today Logo by: https://www.naveendhanalak.com/
Sound effects are credited to: http://www.freesfx.co.uk
Listen on: ApplePodcasts | Spotify | Pocket Casts | YouTube | Website
Transcript
〰️
Transcript 〰️
Tony Ortiz [00:00:00]:
And as a writing takeaway, I love this idea. Because maybe writer's block isn't always a writing problem. Maybe sometimes it's a living problem. And maybe we're distracted, rushing, half present, and what we really need isn't just inspiration. Maybe we just need to notice more, because presence itself fills the well. And there's something beautiful in the idea that people nearing the end of life can still teach the rest of us how to truly live. What's up folks? What's going on? And welcome to the Spun Today Podcast, the only podcast that is anchored in writing, but unlimited in scope. I'm your host, Tony Ortiz, and I appreciate you listening.
Tony Ortiz [00:01:01]:
This is episode 304 of the Spun Today Podcast and it is a free writing session. In this episode, I'm going to share my most recent writing stats and let you know what I've been working on. I'll also share a writing tip for my fellow writers and creatives out there that I picked up along the way. I'm going to tell you about what I've been reading and break it down from a writer's perspective. Some great writing tips and takeaways from it. This episode's book is one that I reread recently, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, which is definitely a favorite of mine and I know my fellow writers and creatives would appreciate. And last but certainly not least, I'm going to share a throwback rewriting piece of my own with you fine folks. So stick around for all that good stuff.
Tony Ortiz [00:01:50]:
But first I wanted to tell you all about a great way that you can help support this show if you so choose. Aside from rating and reviewing wherever it is that you're listening, subscribe like, share, so on and so forth, which really helps get the show out to more people. Please check out this great way that you can help support the show and then we'll jump right into the episode. For my fellow writers and creatives out there, a really cool way that you can help support this show is by going to spun today.com support and clicking on the prowritingaid banner. If you're a listener of the show, you know that I use prowritingaid to pre edit all of my writing before I put it out or before I ship it off to my editor so that it is in as pristine condition as I can probably get it. ProWritingAid offers a great toolkit that helps you polish your work with easy to use grammar checks and the writing assistant that also looks into things like pace, pacing improvements, typos, punctuations, and much more. Go to spuntaday.com forward/support Click on the banner for Pro Writing Aid and check out their free option as well as their different tiers of paid options. Spun today.com forward/support my writing stats for the month of May 2026, which is the only month of stats that I have to share because I'm recording this in May and May is not over yet.
Tony Ortiz [00:03:15]:
And I'm actually, surprisingly to myself caught up with all prior months worth of stats which I shared with you fine folks in the last free writing session episode. Which means that I am staying on track at least for this 2 month sample size. Staying on track with my one of my goals writing goals that I set for myself in the beginning of the year that I shared with you guys, which was to stay consistent with releasing at least one free writing session episode every month. So every third episode should be a free writing session episode or so. That said, my May writing percentage for May 2026 I wrote 13 of the 31 days of the month for a writing process percentage of 41.9%, which is not abysmal, but I do try to aim and target for over 50%. That's when I kind of pat myself on the back in the last free writing session episode I also told you guys that I started leveraging AI to help me figure out how to use Amazon ads to promote my books and I broke that down and how I use it and what I use in the previous rewriting session episode. So if folks are interested in those details you can definitely go back and check that out. And I was using ChatGPT but wasn't happy with the results.
Tony Ortiz [00:04:41]:
Truthfully, you know, it was still I was seeing some benefits, but it was the cost was still far outweighing the benefits and the goal is obviously to get that at least to break even or ideally to turn a profit. And the way I've been learning that these ads work is tons and tons of check ins and tweaking and then letting things run to see what's working, to see what's not. Tweak, rinse and repeat and it's several different types of ads, so on and so forth. So what I did, since I wasn't the happiest with a couple of months of using ChatGPT, I switched over to Claude for this specific task and so far it's going better in terms of click through rate or ctr. And as far as sales, meaning the like, my visibility is there and it was there Fairly high with ChatGPT as well, but the point is to not just become visible, meaning you win the bids that you set to get in front of the eyeballs of people that are on Amazon, shopping either for books or for something else and searching for a specific phrase or word or keyword, which are all parts of the granular types of details that you have to figure out and fill in when you work on Amazon. And so you have that metric of visibility, meaning how often people saw your book or your ad, but also the click through rate, which would be them actually clicking on it. And then from there click through rates can or cannot translate into sales. You know, they check out your page, you want it to be set up nicely, not just a posting of the book, but there's for example, an A category option that is free for authors to set up, which I did with the help of, of Claude actually, which did a great job and I did it for all of my books.
Tony Ortiz [00:06:36]:
It's essentially like a, like an advertisement within your Amazon page for, for example, if you, if you've never seen an A plus section where you have a few blocks of space where that you fill in with content about your book, like some high level bullet points, some summaries, pictures if you want, so on and so forth. And it just makes, it makes the presentation look that much more professional and helps readers get an idea of what your book is about without just, you know, reading the text in or the summary rather in like regular plain text, which they also still have as well. But anyway, the goal is right for them to see it, for them to click on it, for them to buy it. That is trending in the right direction. But we're definitely still not there yet where I would like to be. So I would definitely keep you guys posted on that. I also wanted to tell you guys about a super helpful tool that has been invaluable for me so far. And this company is not a sponsor or anything.
Tony Ortiz [00:07:33]:
They got me via an Instagram ad. As I saw it a ton of times, it looked, it looked cool in the Amazon ad. Like the ad knocked it out the park. So it was definitely captivating and intrigued me. It was kind of like colorful and had these cool doodles and exercises that it showed glimpses of. And I checked it out a couple times. It was fairly inexpensive, which I'll get to in a bit. So I decided to give it a shot and definitely glad I did.
Tony Ortiz [00:08:02]:
It's called Tome with a Period T O M E Period. And it's a web, it's web based and they have an app as well. And it's a one time payment that is fairly inexpensive like I said, in my opinion for what it is. And they have three different tiers that range from $75 to $95. And again, it's one time payment and tours. There's no AI. It's created by writers for writers and it's a self guided writing course that helps you bring your story to life, as their tagline says, and free your inner writer through daily acts of creativity. And that's the coolest part because there's these little activities as along the way which are essential or essentially rather questions and prompts for you to write about your story within the context of the section, which really helps you.
Tony Ortiz [00:09:03]:
It has helped me so far contextualize book two, which as you all know, I've had writer's block on for years with a bunch of false starts, roadblocks, so on and so forth. Part of the reason that I've been upping my writing percentage is because when I'm not working on the story directly, I'm working in tone, which is helping me bring break things down to bite sized pieces and figure things out. Now what I appreciate most about it is that it does a phenomenal job of synthesizing plot, verse, story, character arcs for story arcs, etc. All the different story elements and it explains what all of those things are. It provides examples and gives you prompts that truly help you identify those elements within your own story. Because if you're like me, I'm mainly a discovery writer, which what that means is that you write to a specific idea or you have a thought or you have an ending in mind, then you start writing towards that. But you discover the story as you're writing. You discover who the characters are, what happens, who gets introduced, who doesn't.
Tony Ortiz [00:10:14]:
You figure it out as you go versus, for example, a writer that's more of an outline writer that outlines all of these types of story elements to the T and then just fills it in with story. There's no right, wrong approach. All of the most famous authors that you know are either or fall into one or the other of these buckets or some sort of hybrid in between. It's just what you gravitate what you gravitate towards as a creative. And for me this is great as you know, being a discovery writer because it gives me the structure that I don't have, that I would have more of if I was an outliner, for example, and it helps me identify these things that are already elements of my story, but I don't necessarily tag it as, oh, this is the, the beginning part of the character arc for this particular character. And the internal one is xyz, which I know just through how I'm writing the story, but I don't label it that. And being able to use this tool to label things helps me figure out, oh wait, I have the internal one. What is his external want and why is it that he winds up doing X, Y and Z in this story? And it helps you think through and figure out that type of stuff.
Tony Ortiz [00:11:31]:
And I've been using it and I love it. I love how bite sized the sections are, which can take, you know, five minutes for one section, 20 minutes for another, 30 minutes for another, etc. And it's completely self paced. You type within the app itself or the web web browser version itself. It all syncs together whenever you log in. It just goes to wherever it is that you left off. The way it's broken down, it gives you an explanation of whatever the section is, tells you, breaks down what plot is, gives you a couple of examples, then gives you, you know, two or three questions with a free text box and tells you in your story, tell me about, blah blah, blah. And it doesn't just say, you know, tell me the plot of your story.
Tony Ortiz [00:12:14]:
It gives you specific questions that helps you even figure out what the plot of your story is or a subplot is, so on and so forth. And then after you finish the section, you can export it as a Word doc or PDF, you just click that option and it emailed you a Word doc or PDF of that section and what it is that you wrote. And what I do personally, which I actually got from, was one of the things that got me from the Instagram ad where I saw this person that looked so organized and they had like a notebook with a bunch of tabs and different color writing and they had the their laptop next to them with tome open. And I was like, oh my God, that's what, that's like what I envision a writer to be. And I want to look like that, but it's like something just clicked. Like when I saw that, right? Like it made sense to me and that's what I do. Like I write with my notebook on the side and I have my different color pens that I like to write with anyway. And I capture what I think in my notebook.
Tony Ortiz [00:13:13]:
I capture what I think are like evergreen takeaways, like really poignant examples of plot, story, etc. And also takeaways that are specific to Fractal Book 2, which I'm leveraging this tool to help me flesh out that story. That's the point of it, right? Like it takes you through this. This course, if you will, if you want to call it that. And the goal is to help you write your novel by the end of it. Like, you should have all your gaps filled by the time you get to the end of it. So if this sounds interesting to you, check out tome again, spelled T O M E period, which I'll link to in the episode notes. The writing tip I'd like to share with you fine folks today is from an IG post of School of Plot.
Tony Ortiz [00:14:01]:
That's the handle at School of Plot, and it's a post that said Tips or advice for new writers. If I remember correctly, it said read the caption and I thought it was pretty good advice for new or existing or seasoned writers. These are three bullet points that I grabbed from there Again, shout out to School of Plot on Instagram. The first one is read intentionally. When you read a paragraph of a novel that makes you tense or delighted or fearful, question why? Think about the word choice, the sentence structure, the pacing, and everything that came in the scene before it. See how you can use these techniques in your own writing. Point two was practice writing short stories sometimes, even if your end goal is to write a novel. As Ray Bradbury said, write a short story every week.
Tony Ortiz [00:14:58]:
It is not possible to write 52 bad short stories in a row. That's a good one. I like that. I don't know about cranking out a short story every week, but one could hope, right? But the sentiment holds true in my opinion. And point three was write primarily for yourself. Especially if writing is a hobby. This there's always going to be someone who hates something. You can't please everyone.
Tony Ortiz [00:15:26]:
Writers benefit from a thick skin. If you see a tweet about how your favorite trope is cliche or weird, you don't need to cut it out of your book. There's a market for everything, and if you write something that you genuinely love, it'll find its audience. And I definitely couldn't agree more with that. Shout out to each their own. Shout out to writers that do write to specific motors markets and intentionally do just that. You know, it's just work for them. Or maybe they do like enjoy writing, but they they just do intentionally in that direction.
Tony Ortiz [00:16:00]:
I kind of fall into that latter category where I rather write stuff that I like, that I love, that I'm interested in. And with 8 plus billion people in the world. There should be a market for it if I can figure out through my Amazon ads how to how to get it in front of them. But if not, which is the more likely scenario that I don't eventually become this writer that can live off of his writing from a financial perspective? I still have that love, that enjoyment that I get from doing it for free, essentially, or for very little. And that's definitely worth way more. As cliche as that sounds, it's definitely true. If you like tips and writing advice like this, check out my prior free writing session episodes. Check out my Instagram page Spun Today, where I have a playlist of all of these specific writing tips sections and other writing tips that I pick up on on online.
Tony Ortiz [00:17:03]:
Also on Instagram at Spun Today, I have a little IG Stories playlist right under the top of my profile that you can check out there, which is called Writing Tips, where you'll see this specific post and a bunch of others that I think are super helpful and insightful. Definitely check those out Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott Some advice on Writing and Life this book is absolutely a favorite of mine. This is my second time reading it, and if Stephen King's On Writing feels like sitting down with an experienced craftsman, which it definitely is, I should actually go back and reread that one actually, to break it down for you fun folks. Then Animot Bird by Bird feels like having coffee with a brilliant, funny, brutally honest friend who's willing to tell you the truth. Not just about writing, but about being human at its core. Bird by Bird isn't really a book about publishing or plot structures or perfect prose. It's about fear. It's about perfectionism.
Tony Ortiz [00:18:12]:
It's about paying attention, and about learning to get out of your own way long enough to allow something honest to come through. What resonated the most with me wasn't necessarily technical advice, although there is a bunch of that throughout this book. But it was an LA MOT's candor and vulnerability, and her insistence that writing and life itself be approached with curiosity, compassion, and presence. There's a point in the book where Anne writes about the importance of painting portraits of the people that we've loved, and not necessarily idealized versions, but the moment, the inexplicably beautiful ones, the moments that deepen us, as she says, that change us. And this reinforced my desire to write a story that I envisioned being a standalone novel about my father's life, which, if you've been listening to this podcast over the years, you'll know that that's like a top tier goal of mine as a writer, where at least from where I sit now, I feel I will feel fully accomplished as a writer. It's what I set out to do from the onset, before I ever wrote even my first book. It's like a North Star goal to write that book about my father's life, and I won't let myself do it yet until I feel I'm ready as a writer. But I definitely have tons of notes on it and interviews with my dad about his life that I plan to leverage, and just ideas and thoughts that I've jotted down over the years.
Tony Ortiz [00:19:55]:
But this advice from Anne definitely reinforced that for me. And a writing takeaway for us is that one thing this reminded me of is that stories don't have to justify themselves through some sort of spectacle. Sometimes the most worthwhile thing we can do as writers is preserve. Capture a person, capture a relationship, capture a fleeting feeling that you have. Because memory fades for sure, but stories can hold on to the moments that made us who we are now. One of the most powerful stories in the book involves a friend of hers that was dying. And after some difficult news from the doctor six months before her death, that same doctor offered advice which Ann says changed her life, which was, quote, watch her carefully right now because she's teaching you how to live. End quote.
Tony Ortiz [00:20:55]:
And Ann talks about how people who are consciously dying often possess a kind of presence that most of us lack. Life all of a sudden becomes full the way children experience it, as if every moment matters. She even says that when she's blocked as a writer, she tries to live as though she's dying. Not in a morbid sense, but in a deeply present one. And as a writing takeaway, I love this idea. Because maybe writer's block isn't always a writing problem. Maybe sometimes it's a living problem. And maybe we're distracted, rushing, half present, and what we really need isn't just inspiration.
Tony Ortiz [00:21:38]:
Maybe we just need to notice more, because presence itself fills the well. And there's something beautiful in the idea that people nearing the end of life can still teach the rest of us how to truly live. Now point on vulnerability One thing I appreciated throughout the entire book is how vulnerable animat is, especially when discussing criticism, insecurity and the messy reality of writing. She doesn't present herself as someone who's figured everything out. She presents herself as someone who's still wrestling with it. And a great writing takeaway for us there is that honesty ages better than expertise Readers connect with truth, not perfection. And sometimes admitting that you're struggling is more valuable than pretending you've mastered the process. This next takeaway is awesome, and I think it applies as much to life itself as does writing.
Tony Ortiz [00:22:36]:
Anne Lamott teaches writing, I believe, at the university level. And speaking about giving feedback to students. She shares how in one particular semester she had one student that was a pretty bad writer and the other students in the class would criticize their work and say how it's important to let them know how bad it is so that they know how bad it is, recognize it and can get better. But Ann told them that you don't always have to chop with the sword of truth. You can point with it too. And I absolutely love that line that that's probably my favorite line in the book, or very close second, just depending on the mood I'm in. I guess. The other line I'm thinking of is what w up being the title of the book itself, Bird by Bird, which came from a story where she broke down how her little brother had this really big summer project where he had to write about like 30 different birds and do like a summary of each, like describing them and how they look and what they eat, so on and so forth.
Tony Ortiz [00:23:51]:
And he was really, really overwhelmed. The family was at their like a summer house or vacation and the father sat down with him and told him to take take a deep breath, relax, and let's just take it bird by bird, one bite sized chunk at a time. And he got through it and that became the title of the book. And also just like a takeaway lesson for writers to take things on one step at a time. You know, writing a novel can be overwhelming. And this actually ties to the tome application that I was speaking about earlier, which again, not a sponsor at all. I just have been really enjoying it. But it helps you do just that, you know, take things one bite size step at a time.
Tony Ortiz [00:24:39]:
So that line, that story itself is right, my favorite in the book. But this one again, very close second. Or sometimes they'll swap places. And the writing takeaway from us, from that anecdote is that not every truth requires brutality. You can be honest without being cruel. You can be constructive without, without being destructive. And as writers, and frankly as people, we sometimes confuse bluntness with integrity and they're not the same thing. But kindness and honesty aren't opposites either.
Tony Ortiz [00:25:16]:
Sometimes a gentle nudge accomplishes way more than a devastating blow. At another point in the book when speaking about observations and note taking and encourages writers to Detach, to absorb the world the way children do, without what she calls which I love the atmospheric smog of adulthood. And a great writing takeaway for us is. And the reason why this resonated with me is because I think adult adulthood trains us to stop noticing children don't. They stare, they wonder, they ask questions, even if inappropriate. As a father of a seven and five year old, I definitely know that they're fascinated by everything. And maybe part of being a writer is reclaiming that way of seeing the world. To become interested again, to observe without immediately judging, and to simply pay attention.
Tony Ortiz [00:26:16]:
There's also a section where Anne share something she says, which I dubbed her quote, unquote muse prayer because it reminded me of a practice of Steven Pressfield's in How He Summons the Muse. So she says something along the lines of quote, please help me get out of the way so I can write what wants to be written, end quote. And I really appreciate the humility in that, which is a great writing takeaway for us because it suggests that writing isn't always about forcing, it's about listening, removing ego, removing expectations, getting quiet enough for something authentic to emerge. Whether you believe in muses, God, the subconscious, or something else entirely, there's wisdom in remembering that not everything has to be wrestled into existence. There's also practicality that I like about seeing something tangible to get yourself into the mood, into the headspace, if you will, of writing, mentally preparing yourself for taking on the act. Another favorite line of mine from the book is there's ecstasy in paying attention. It's simple, it's beautiful, and definitely true. And as creatives, I think we can take away that.
Tony Ortiz [00:27:45]:
Maybe creativity isn't about becoming more interesting, maybe it's about becoming more attentive. The world is already overflowing with stories. We just miss them because we're distracted, because we're rushing, because we're somewhere else. But Anne Lamott reminds us that joy and inspiration can often be found simply by noticing. And if you, for example, have ever had as I have an idea that just strikes you from, you know, the way someone, a barista, hands a coffee to a patron, or from seeing someone walking down the street pushing a wheelchair for an elderly person, that prompted you, which this is literally a true story for me, to pull over while you're driving and free write something based on that scene that you visualized. That's what I'm talking about here. Simply noticing and being open to realizing that there's stories all around you if you're open to them. Can definitely fuel creativity.
Tony Ortiz [00:28:50]:
And here's some other great advice that she shared. Anne writes, quote, to some extent, you're just a typist. Listen and type, end quote. And she's referring to in this scene or in this section, rather, listening to your characters. And a writing takeaway for us is. And the reason why I like this is because it takes some of the pressure off. You don't have to control every little thing. Sometimes your job is simply to pay attention, to follow, to discover, which is key.
Tony Ortiz [00:29:21]:
Particularly for me, as I mentioned earlier as a discovery writer, let the story surprise you. The best moments in writing often feel less like invention and more like uncovering something that was already there. And I forget who to attribute this to. I think it was Malcolm Gladwell in Blink, but and he was quoting someone else, I think Michelangelo himself. And how his sculptures, if I'm remembering correctly. But the sentiment here is true, that his sculptures weren't him creating something out of rock. It was him chiseling at the rock to let out the sculpture that was already there. That's what that reminds me of.
Tony Ortiz [00:30:03]:
And then Ann goes on to speak about loving and hating your characters, and she points out that you'll love some of your characters because they're you or they contain some facet of you, and you'll hate some of your characters for the exact same reason. The great writing takeaway for us there is that because characters aren't just inventions, you realize that they're mirrors. And sometimes the traits we admire or despise in fictional people are reflections of parts of ourselves, which means that writing can become an act of self discovery and occasionally self confrontation. And in closing, I'll say that reading Bird by Bird, I came away with the feeling that Anne Lamott isn't trying to teach writers how to produce perfect work. She's trying to teach us how to pay attention, how to be present, how to be honest, and maybe most importantly, how to get out of our own way. Because sometimes the story knows where it's going and our job is simply to sit down, listen and type. Check out Animat's Bird by Bird link to in the episode notes. And last but certainly not least, folks, here is the freewriting session piece that I want to share with you fine folks in this episode.
Tony Ortiz [00:31:34]:
I don't have a title for it yet, but if you want to check it out, go to spontoday.com freewriting for now, I'm going to read directly from my notebook, but I will absolutely transcribe this Pop it up on there with a title for you guys to check out in the future again. Spontady.com Freewriting for this piece and tons and tons of others and I wrote we're constantly going through transitions in life. Life itself is a transitional phase in time to the unknown. We go through what most would consider big transitional phases, like falling in love, getting married, career related changes, the death and loss of loved ones. On a smaller scale, we're transitioning from month to month, minute to minute, moment to moment. Transitions like time seem to happen to us, although with transitions we have more of a say, more of an influence, whereas time happens in spite of us all. The question is, what's the best way to deal with transition? Obviously, the nuance of every type of transition would have their own set of options. Should I take the job or not? Should I exercise more or not? Do I need help to get through this rough time or not? Those decisions made in the midst of transition will be situational and case by case.
Tony Ortiz [00:33:00]:
Generally speaking, however, I think it may be best to approach such moments with grace. Be principled and open to unexpected change. Be ready and willing to pivot if needed. Be grounded in what got you to the dance, but able to take another route back home. Know slash, set your price and limits going in so that you're tethered to a sense of you. But keep in mind that this is just to create an additional option for yourself because the you of yesterday may not be the same as the you of today or tomorrow when it comes to these transitions. That's my approach currently. Tweak as needed on your end.
Tony Ortiz [00:33:48]:
Find your own way to elegantly ride the waves of transition. And I wrote that on Wednesday, October 18, 2017. That's nine years ago at 4.25pm IST, which is India Standard Time if I'm not mistaken. But it is the time that they use in India. And I wrote this while I was there and transition was on the mind because it was Diwali and I wrote Happy Diwali underneath. It's pretty cool. I like some of the the advice in there looking back on this, especially the principled and open to unexpected change. But be ready and willing to pivot if needed.
Tony Ortiz [00:34:31]:
That's a good one. And I like the no slash. Set your price and limits going in so that you're tethered to a sense of you. But keep in mind that this is just to create an additional option for yourself. I can appreciate that. Don't lose a sense of yourself when you're going through change through transition. You know Set your price going in, meaning your goal, your want, your what you want your takeaway to be, what your expectations are of any given situation. Know that going in, but also know that you don't know all the information yet.
Tony Ortiz [00:35:03]:
And something said in that meeting, in that job interview and that relationship could change how you feel about things. And that's okay. Be ready to pivot accordingly and transition as needed. Again, check that free writing piece out and many others@spun today.com forward slash freewriting and that folks, was episode 304 of the Spun Today Podcast. Thank each and every one of you for taking the time to listen. I truly do appreciate it. Your support means a ton. Please remember to like share, subscribe, wherever it is that you're listening.
Tony Ortiz [00:35:40]:
It definitely get helps to get the show out to more people. If you like more condensed versions of this type of content, check out my YouTube page where I have different playlists, whether it be writing specific advice, free writing session pieces, breakdowns of books, all broken up into different playlists so you'll get that content from all past episodes. For example, if you want to help support the sponsored A podcast directly, go to sponsor.com forward/support. You'll find all my affiliate links there that also give you discounts for things that you may already be shopping for and help support the podcast. Just by you guys using my links, get yourself an official Spun Today coffee mug, some T shirts, tank tops, hoodies, all the good stuff. Spunter.com support or sponsor.com and click on the shop banner up at the top of the page and I really, really appreciate it. Here are a few of the ways you can help support the show if you so choose, and I'll check you guys out next time. Peace.
Tony Ortiz [00:36:43]:
What's up folks? Tony here. I hope you're enjoying the Spun Today podcast as much as I enjoy producing it for you. Here are a few ways you can help support the show. You can support the Spun Today Podcast financially by going to spuntoday.com support. There you will find a couple different ways that you can do just that, some of which will actually not even cost you a dime, such as using my Amazon affiliate link. When you go to spunterday.com support, you'll see my affiliate link to Amazon. Click on it and it will take you to Amazon's website where you can do your shopping like normal. This will not cost you anything extra, but Amazon will pay me for driving traffic to their website.
Tony Ortiz [00:37:24]:
If you'd like to support the podcast more directly, you can do so by becoming a patron@spuntoday.com support you'll also find my Patreon link. This is where creators such as myself can be paid directly by patrons like you. You can either make a one time donation or schedule recurring donations if you so choose. There are also different tiers of support and depending on which you decide to go with, you'll also receive some perks in return such as early access to content, free digital copies of my books, free bookmarks, etc. That is again by supporting via my Patreon link available@ sponsoreday.com support similar to Patreon at that same location. You'll also find my Ko Fi link as well as my Buy me a coffee link. They work very similar to Patreon and are different ways you can help support the show financially. And last but certainly not least, you have the good old fashioned PayPal donation button.
Tony Ortiz [00:38:19]:
Any which way that you choose to support is greatly appreciated. It all helps me do more of what I love, which is writing and podcasting. Again, go to spunterday.com support. You can also support the Spun Today podcast by rating and reviewing the show. Wherever it is that you're listening to this episode. I'd really appreciate it because it really does help. Also, follow me on all socials Pun Today on X formerly known as Twitter, Punt Today on Instagram and spun today on YouTube where you'll not only find full length episodes of the podcast, but also chopped up clips and additional content. And of course you can follow the Facebook page@facebook.com spun today.
Tony Ortiz [00:39:05]:
Another way you can help support the Spun Today podcast and also upgrade that stale wardrobe of yours is by going to Spun Today.com support and clicking on the banner for Stitch Fix. Once you do, you'll enjoy a $25 discount to your first purchase. And the way Stitch Fix works is pretty cool. I use it and I've never been disappointed. You set up a profile. You'll put in all the sizes for your clothes as well as all the different brands and types of clothes that you like to wear. It's really simple and intuitive to set up. They'll show you pictures and pretty much give you a thumbs up or thumbs down option on if you would wear something or not.
Tony Ortiz [00:39:42]:
And you get to select all the brands that you already are used to wearing. With this information, there are thousands of passionate trend setting stylists will curate a style Stitch Fix box for you. They'll send you five items that you get to preview before they mail it to you and you'll get to select based on the image. If you like it or not. If not, they'll replace it with something else and if so, they'll mail it to you absolutely for free. You can try everything on and you have a few days to send everything back or keep the stuff that you want to keep. Then you can use that 25 credit that I mentioned towards your purchase of those items again. To freshen up your wardrobe and also support the Sponsor Day podcast, go to sponsorday.com support and click on my affiliate link banner for Stitch Fix and enjoy your $25 credit.
Tony Ortiz [00:40:29]:
Do you want to start your own podcast? Have a great show idea that you want to get out into the masses but don't know quite how to get it from your head out into the world? Well, here's how. Use the podcast host Libsyn. That's who I use to bring the Sponsor Day podcast to you. And now you can use them the same way. Using the promo code spun Spun, you can open up your Libsyn account today and get two months of free podcast hosting. Here's how it works. Once you record your show, you upload it to your Libsyn account where you can fill in your episode notes, upload your podcast art, and schedule when you want your episodes to release. Once you do that, that Lipson will take care of the rest.
Tony Ortiz [00:41:13]:
They'll distribute your show to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all the other podcatchers that you choose instantaneously and seamlessly. Again, go to Libsyn.com and use the promo code SPUN S P U N to get two months free. Or use the affiliate link that's in the episode notes. Again, that's Libsyn.com promo code SPUN. Take that great podcast idea from out of your head and put it out into the world. And as always, folks, substitute the mysticism with hard work and start taking steps in the general direction of your dreams. Thanks for listening. I love you Aiden.
Tony Ortiz [00:42:07]:
I love you daddy. I love you Grayson.