In the Loop with Andy Andrews

A Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Writing Process

On this week’s episode, I discuss my creative process for writing even in the midst of rejection.    

The greatest book ever written is in somebody’s drawer somewhere.

  • They put it out there, it got turned down a few times, and they decided to put it away.
  • Gone With the Wind was rejected 34 times.

Part of my creative process is to do battle with myself quickly. 

  • I try not to let wondering if something is working drag me downhill. 
  • Publishers told me The Traveler’s Gift did not have a desirable plot and that writing good books takes effort and talent.
  • After 51 rejections from professionals, the book has been successful for over 10 years. 

You can either take their word and live according to their opinion, or you can reject it and look for people who are wiser in the area where you are heading. 

  • For most successful writers, it takes a great deal of work and almost a formula to help with the writing process. 
  • I’m not fired up the whole time that I’m working on a book. 
  • It is a very slow process for me.  

Questions for Listeners

Do you have a question? Call in and your question might be featured on the show!

  • Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY
  • E-Mail: InTheLoop@AndyAndrews.com
  • Facebook.com/AndyAndrews
  • Twitter.com/AndyAndrews
Direct download: ITl121_A_Behind_the_Scenes_Tour_of_the_Writing_Process.mp3
Category:Podcast -- posted at: 5:00am CDT

On this week’s episode, I answer listener questions about time-travel and my switch from comedy to whatever it is that I do now.

 

Would you rather go into the future to meet your great grandchildren, or travel backward and meet your great grandparents?

  • If I went into the future to meet my great grandchildren, I wouldn’t learn anything from them that will change my life and in turn allow me to change their lives.
  • The best I could do is try to convince them to do something or not do something.
  • If I went back into time, I think it would give me a lot of insight as to why my family dynamic came along the pathway that it did.

 

Wisdom is a little beyond knowledge.

  • I hear people say, “My grandparent was such a wise person,” and then turn around and ask where all the wise people are today.
  • Technology makes things so fast and allows for an amazing flow of knowledge and information.
  • However, I really believe wisdom requires quiet and time.

 

How did you know when it was time to change speaking platforms from comedy to what you do now?

  • I had always been interested in communicating something, but there was no way that I could be just a speaker in my twenties.
  • I’m not saying that people in their twenties can’t provide wisdom.
  • Comedy was just my way of being on stage.

 

I can remember when I was on tour with Kenny Rogers, and we started talking about Jones and the Seven Decisions.

  • He said that I should put some of the Seven Decisions talk in my show between jokes.
  • Slowly I kept adding in a little more, and eventually more people were talking about the “serious” bits that I did. It kind of shifted on its own.
  • It’s a strange platform but it’s fun and flexible.
  • If you want to see a blend of my comedic side with my serious side, you should check out my DVD Not Normal: The Power to Be Different. It’s a live presentation of some of my funniest and most inspirational material.

 

Questions for Listeners

Do you have a question? Call in and your question might be featured on the show!

 

  • Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY
  • E-Mail: InTheLoop@AndyAndrews.com
  • Facebook.com/AndyAndrews
  • Twitter.com/AndyAndrews
Direct download: ITL120_Curious_Questions_on_Time_Travel_Wisdom_and_My_Career.mp3
Category:Podcast -- posted at: 5:00am CDT

On this week’s episode, I give my two cents on some of my favorite responses to our previous listener question: “If you could have a five-minute phone call with your 18-year-old self, what would you tell yourself to be aware of?” 

From our listener…

"Just pick up the phone and make the needed phone call. Just do it. Returning needed phone calls, or calling to confirm, cancel or postpone appointments is part of the process of becoming a responsible, dependable person.  Don't shut the door on yourself through negligence caused by shyness and procrastination. Keeping doors open or ensuring good closure is crucial for maintaining good relationships.  Faithfulness in little things will lead to bigger things."

Have a decided heart.

You will get stuck in an ongoing state of analysis. 

I see so many people who spend so much time analyzing decisions they have already made, that they don’t have any emotional or physical energy to do what they have decided. 

The Traveler’s Gift was written four years before it was published. 

If I kept analyzing whether or not the book was worth publishing during the years it was turned down, the book wouldn’t be out yet. 

I’m still learning things about the decisions.

In regard to the shyness… 

Most people think that confidence is something that always came easy for me. 

There were times when I was starting out that I would be sick to my stomach, even when a show was more than a week away. I was scared.

But I knew I wanted people to hear what I had to say. 

Direct download: ITL119_How_to_Make_Decisions_and_Overcome_Shyness.mp3
Category:Podcast -- posted at: 5:00am CDT

On this week’s episode, we have comedian and good friend Jeff Allen on the show to have some laughs and answer a few questions.

 

Jeff is one of my great buddies and, to me, is one of the funniest working stand-up comedians today. 

 

One of my favorite bits of his is the Three-Word Vocabulary

  • It’s the signature piece of trying to argue with a 16-year-old.
  • Pfffff, Khhhhk, and Whatever.
  • “Whatever” comes in different frequencies, but one of them affects my nerves.

 

My son Austin is getting close to getting his drivers license. Jeff shared his experience with having a child at that age:

  • When Jeff’s son started driving, he was so bad that Jeff would let him drive the family to church. That way he got his prayer time in before he got there.
  • Some Sundays had so many miracles on the way to church that they would skip the service and just go straight to Cracker Barrel.  

 

What is Jeff’s favorite product he has produced and why?

  • The first Bananas DVD he did.
  • The first one is the tightest in terms of content because it’s full of stuff he had been working on for years.
  • The DVD also has his testimony.

 

You can find more about Jeff on his website JeffAllenComedy.com

 

Questions for Listeners

Do you have a question? Call in and your question might be featured on the show!

 

  • Phone: 1-800-726-ANDY
  • E-Mail: InTheLoop@AndyAndrews.com
  • Facebook.com/AndyAndrews
  • Twitter.com/AndyAndrews
    Direct download: ITL118_The_Funny_Side_of_Parenting.mp3
    Category:Podcast -- posted at: 5:00am CDT