The Self-Sufficient Writer: The Wonders of Cast-Iron

The difference between having the right tool for the job and the wrong tool is often the difference between getting the job done well and not getting it done at all. Even if you manage to get the wrong tool to work, the job often takes longer and produces shoddy results. For just about any… Continue reading The Self-Sufficient Writer: The Wonders of Cast-Iron

The Self-Sufficient Writer: Bread, the Staff of Life

Bread may not be the staple food in every culture, but it certainly is in mine. So when I decided I was going to become more self-sufficient, learning how to make quality bread from scratch was very high up on the priority list. Bread is awesome for a number of reasons. It’s nutritious and healthy,… Continue reading The Self-Sufficient Writer: Bread, the Staff of Life

The Self-Sufficient Writer: Lifestyle Choices

Before I go on with this series, I feel I should take a step back and discuss the topic of lifestyle choices. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines lifestyle as “the typical way of life of an individual, group, or culture.” According to Wikipedia, this includes “interests, opinions, behaviors, and behavioral orientations,” and is constrained by things… Continue reading The Self-Sufficient Writer: Lifestyle Choices

The Self-Sufficient Writer: First Steps Toward Food Storage

For various reasons, after a year I decided to come home from overseas and move back to Utah. A lot had changed in that year, and my books were starting to earn enough that I could cover all my publishing expenses and pay myself a small salary. It wasn’t much, but the cost of living… Continue reading The Self-Sufficient Writer: First Steps Toward Food Storage

The Self-Sufficient Writer: What I Learned by Leaving the Country

When I left the United States in 2012, I didn’t have self-reliance in mind. The plan was to break out of the cycle of poverty I’d been living in by starting a career teaching English overseas, bouncing around the world as a global nomad. If I landed a good paying ESL job somewhere like the… Continue reading The Self-Sufficient Writer: What I Learned by Leaving the Country

The Self-Sufficient Writer: Introduction

Before I graduated from college five years ago, I decided that I was going to pursue writing as a full-time career. That was my dream: to make a living telling stories that I love. It’s been a crazy ride so far, and I don’t doubt that it’s only going to get crazier. For the better… Continue reading The Self-Sufficient Writer: Introduction