Daphne Gray-Grant

Home
Testimonials
Products
Free Articles
Book Reviews
About Daphne
Free Newsletter
Contact Me

 

 
  Check out my book!

 

I think you have one of the most valuable and insightful business writing resources on the web (and, as Im sure you know, there are thousands of them out there). No matter how busy I am, your newsletter is the one email I always open the moment it hits my inbox!
Leslie Talbot
Principal, G2G Sales, Cambridge, MA

I have to stop myself replying to your email each week to tell you how great I think your writing is. I've held off for two months now, so: I think your writing is great. Yours is the only newsletter that I read every time. Inspiring and concise, with humour. Love it.
Andrew Lightheart,
RealSmartNow.net
Singapore

You don't know me, but you've made such a big difference in my writing as I launched and then grew my copywriting business over the past year. Your newsletter is the only one I read right when I get it.
Kelly Parkinson,
Copylicious
Oakland, Calif.

I read your Power Writing tips religiously. I have learned more from them than I did in all my years at Catholic School. Your stuff is valuable to everyone regardless of their business function.
Mary Anne Doggett
Interactive Communications, Inc.
New York, NY

Unlike most newsletters I subscribe to (many of which I delete in frustration or let accumulate in my inbox for "later") I read yours the moment they come in. I love that they’re short, easy to read, and informative.
Nadine Pederson
Black Swan Services
West Vancouver, B.C.

Just had to tell you that, once again, your newsletter has brought enlightenment, enjoyment, and a welcome dose of sanity to my inbox. I love hearing from you each week.
Fran Sammis
Teledyne Storm Products
Woodridge, IL

I just wanted to let you know that I read 100% of your writing. Of the many newsletters that come to my inbox, yours is the only one I read from start to finish every time. TGIT (Thank God it's Tuesday).
Laura Williams
Mississauga, Ont.

Thank you for your recent newsletter. What a powerful concept! I think you've just given me a key to my writer's block. Your newsletter is terrific!
Lisa Ham
Bend, Ore.

I just don’t know how you do it. Every column of yours I read is noteworthy. I’m working on two books (one for Oxford University Press and the other for Prometheus Books) that are each due in a couple of months. I’ve got two major research projects and teaching to boot. I don’t read anything extra.
Except your emails. They’re worth their weight in gold.
Barbara A. Oakley, Ph.D., P.E., FAIMBE
Associate Professor of Engineering
Oakland University
Rochester MI

As a new writer and web owner, I had subscribed to several writing-type newsletters -- yours is the only one I have kept. It's short and sweet; and it offers value.
Julie DeHart
Manila, Philippines

I just wanted to let you know, I look forward to Tuesdays. Because of you. Thanks for the inspiration and insight.
Jennifer Clayton
Sticky Center,
Palm Springs, California

Your newsletter is funny/interesting because you write about stuff I already know, but for some reason need to hear again in small portions. So incredibly useful.
Rachel Lom
Write Image, LLC
Appleton, Wisconsin

 

 

January 13, 2009

Do you really, really want to write?

Welcome to Dr. Wicked

It's been snowing where I live. Okay, I know it's January and all, and that might not seem like a strange complaint (unless you live in, say, Australia) but I'm in Vancouver -- the wet capital of the world.

Normally, the only weird weather we get here is rain. That's weird in volume, not in appearance. But this winter it's been snow. The white stuff started falling on Dec. 13 and fell on and off until, well, right now. Turns out the "rain" we're getting as I write this (on Jan. 10) has just turned white, and it's adding to the piles of white stuff already burying our lawn. The only snow on the ground I expect at this time of year is a little white flower known as a snowdrop.

Both walking and driving have been tough and going anywhere outside is a challenge. My city is ill-equipped for plowing and salting and civic officals tend to take the attitude: "Why do anything when the rain is gonna melt this stuff soon?"

Trouble was, "soon" may have hit other areas of the city, but it's failed to come to my neighborhood. And I discovered this major inconvenience needed some serious planning. As a result, we now have a boot box sitting just inside our front door. I also have black boots, good gloves, a scarf and hat ready to put on anytime I go outside. (A friend of mine even bought a pair of metal crampons for her shoes, which I took as excessive.)

All this planning may sound lame to you, if you live in a cold region, but, remember, the most I usually plan for is taking an umbrella with me everywhere.

Anyway, one day, while I was putting on my hat, I had an interesting question pop into my head. If I could relatively easily prepare for the inconveniences of snowy weather, what tools existed that could take away some writing inconveniences? Funnily enough, later that afternoon, I stumbled across a website with something that's just as powerful as a good hat and fuzzy gloves.

The site is known as Dr. Wicked and it features an application known as Write or Die. Let me turn the description over to Dr. Wicked who says he "encourages writing by punishing the tendency to avoid writing."

The instructions are simple: Determine the word count you want to achieve and your time goal. Then pick your mode (gentle, normal or kamikaze) and your grace period (forgiving, strict or evil). Then click "write" and start doing it. As long as you keep writing you're fine, but once you stop producing words you have a grace period of a certain number of seconds. Then there are consequences.

I've now tried Write or Die several times (in fact, I wrote the first draft of this column in it) and found it as bracing a face-wash with cold snow. I selected the "strict" grace period ("evil" just seemed too cruel to me) and found that after about seven second of inactivity, the background of my screen started turning red. And after roughly 18 seconds of inactivity, I was suitably punished by hearing excruciatingly bad music -- Bananaphone by someone much worse than Raffi. A second time I heard something called Peanut Butter and Jelly. I suspect Dr. Evil may be a food fetishist.

(By the way, the many references on the webpage to NaNo, refer to National Novel Writing Month. This is an annual project that brings together professional and amateur writers from all over the world.)

But back to Write or Die. If loud music is too uncomfortable for you, you might try the "gentle" mode, which offers a simple email reminder that you've stopped writing. On the other hand, if you're a zealot, you might try the kamikaze mode. Warning: this last one starts erasing existing text if you stop writing.

Write or Die is not as gentle as a warm spring day or as fun as a summer's day at the beach. But it's a useful, valuable tool, particularly if you're having a tough time persuading yourself to write on deadline.

To receive a short article like this one each week, get on the Power Writing email list. It's free.