What would you do with a lonely speechwriter?

A speechwriter unknown to me messaged me on LinkedIn:

“I wanted to reach out to ask how you stay fresh or if you have any advice for speechwriters who are in a rut. There are days I feel like I’m losing my edge, my confidence and sometimes my zeal. All thoughts, ideas, books to read, methodologies are welcome.”

When the only tool you have is a professional association, everything looks like a recruiting opportunity, so I told him to join the PSA and come to our World Conference (Oct. 21-23 in D.C.) and make some friends.

“I could never articulate to people concisely what I was feeling,” he replied, “and it is, in fact, loneliness.”

What wind has puffed you out of professional doldrums? Tell me, and I’ll tell our new friend. I’m at [email protected]. —DM