Happy Friday!
Since the start of 2026, we’ve been talking about writing differently. Many writers are discovering that the old models with rigid schedules simply aren’t working anymore. Life is fuller, noisier, and more complex than it used to be, and forcing ourselves into outdated structures often creates resistance instead of momentum.
So instead, we’re asking: What would it look like to support our writing rather than control it? What “out of the box” strategies can we utilize?
Writer Paula Landry recently used the Word of the Day practice, and it changed everything about how she approached her work.
Here’s Paula’s story.
How Word of the Day Helped Me Finish My Latest Book, Scheduling and Budgeting Your Film (3rd ed)
Finishing a nonfiction book, especially one that’s instructional, practical, and meant to genuinely help people, is a special kind of mental marathon (sooo much coffee is required). I’ve written plenty over the years, but the third edition, and most recent book I’ve just completed, Scheduling and Budgeting Your Film: A Panic-Free Guide tested my focus in new ways. It wasn’t a lack of knowledge or passion. It was the sheer weight of holding a complex system in my head day after day without burning out. The burnout made me doubt myself and was holding me back. I kind of…. spiraled, actually. It was dragging me back, when typically, toward the end of a book, there’s a second wind because of seeing the completion, which is exciting! Not this time.
That’s where Marilyn Horowitz’s book Word of the Day quietly, unexpectedly changed everything for me.
It was surprising!
At first glance, the concept seems almost too simple: choose one word each day and let it guide your creative focus. Use the word to cluster related words around it (or other words, whatever comes up). But simplicity, I’ve learned, is often where the real power lives. Instead of waking up to a long, intimidating to-do list or the pressure of “finish the chapter,” I began each writing day by choosing a single word, clarity, structure, flow, precision, trust, spelling, figures, footnotes, index, key word.
That specific word became my anchor. A guideline toward my next steps.
When you’re writing a nonfiction book like a line producing guide, one that covers budgets, schedules, contracts, unions, sustainability, and legal frameworks, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds. Word of the Day gave me a way to zoom out without dissociating, to focus without forcing.
On days when my word was clarity, I rewrote dense sections so a first-time filmmaker could actually understand them. On structure days, I focused on outlines, chapter flow, and logical progression. On trust days, I stopped second-guessing whether my experience was “enough” and let myself write from authority rather than anxiety.
What surprised me most was how this practice lowered my resistance. I didn’t have to be “on” in every way. I didn’t need the perfect mood, the perfect block of time, or the perfect plan. I just needed to show up for the word.
Marilyn Horowitz understands something essential about creatives: we don’t struggle because we lack discipline, we struggle because we overload ourselves emotionally and cognitively. Word of the Day works because it reduces the psychic noise around creativity. It turns the act of writing into a conversation rather than a confrontation. Every book, any writing is a journey that starts with the next word. Just the next (not all of them at once, phew)!
As I moved closer to finishing, I realized I wasn’t just more productive, I was calmer. More playful. Less self-punishing. The book didn’t just get done; it got done with integrity and energy intact.
If you’re working on a long-form project, especially one that asks you to hold expertise, care, and responsibility at the same time,
I can’t recommend Word of the Day enough. It’s not a hack. It’s not a hustle tool. It’s a creative companion.
And sometimes, one word is exactly what it takes to finish what matters most.
Paula Landry, MBA, is an award-winning producer, writer, and media strategist at the intersection of storytelling, media, and entrepreneurship. She has collaborated with Fortune 500s, nonprofits, and artists, developing media projects for Christie’s, Forbes, Entertainment Weekly, Deutsche Bank, Panasonic, Smile Train, and many others. Landry’s work spans commercials, branded content, and business plans that have raised millions for indie films and startups. She created StartupTools4Artists and authored several books: Scheduling & Budgeting Your Film, Applying Entrepreneurship to the Arts, and This Business of FILM. Her filmography includes A Cat’s Tale and Sundance-premiere Angel Passing, with premieres at major festivals and multiple awards. As an educator, Landry teaches at MICA and various colleges in NYC and speaks globally. She is a sought-after film festival judge and a Forbes contributor, dedicated to empowering artists and advancing inclusive storytelling.
The Next Webinar: 5 Tips for a 21st Century Writing Schedule
In our next webinar, we’ll move from insight into practice. Together, we’ll explore practical, realistic ways to support your writing life, without forcing schedules that no longer fit or productivity rules that create pressure.
I hope each of you will join us on Tuesday, February 10. I look forward to continuing this conversation with you.
Here’s to your personal success,
Professor Marilyn Horowitz
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Offering a unique creativity-and-time-management technique, Word of the Day is a practice that assists writers to create at will, write as much as they want, and acquire accurate self-acknowledgement in the process.
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