Reading time: Just over 4 minutes Do you know how to make stress work for you? Or do you simply dread it? Here is some advice specifically for writers…. Working as a senior editor in a metropolitan daily newspaper (1984-1990) was one of the happiest times of my life. I loved the stress! I always […]
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I’ve always seen writing as a multi-faceted job, requiring many steps. There’s… Planning Thinking Researching Thinking some more Mindmapping Writing Substantive editing Copy editing Proofreading Publishing/getting published The trouble is, many people see ‘writing’ as only one step – a giant hairball of a process in which they sit at a keyboard and try to
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute Increase your vocabulary and you’ll make your writing much more precise. That’s why I provide a word of the week. Today’s word: gormless… My father had English-born parents — his dad was a farmer from Cornwall and his mother, a highly educated woman from Oxford. (How those two managed
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Reading time: Just over 4 minutes Do you get frustrated by what you can’t seem to achieve? Here are 13 ways to develop writing goals that work for you… Whenever my husband and I play a board game — like Rummikub or Bananagram — Eric always rolls his eyes at me. “You’re so competitive,” he says
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I encourage participants in the Get It Done program to write in the morning. As early as possible (as long as you don’t shortchange your sleep). Why? Our brains are most creative during and immediately after sleep. If you ever remember any of your dreams, you’ll know what I mean by creativity. The kooky things
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Despite COVID, I’ve been lucky enough to arrange for a second very brief holiday this summer. This time, my husband and I are heading to Galiano Island (see image above) where we’ll be spending six days in a very small, 650-sq.-ft (or so) cabin. While our adult daughters hold the fort at home, we’ll be
Reading time: Just over 4 minutes Is writing perfectionism something that troubles you? Here’s a list of practical tips to help you vanquish that unruly beast! Many clients tell me they don’t write because they’re perfectionists. They can’t start their writing, they say, because they know it won’t be good enough. As a result, they
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When my husband sees my daily time sheet, he rolls his eyes at me. “It looks like you’re a lawyer,” he says. He doesn’t mean that as a compliment. But do you know what? I don’t care. My daily time sheet, which I started using about three years ago, has more than tripled my efficiency.
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute Increase your vocabulary and you’ll make your writing much more precise. That’s why I provide a word of the week. Today’s word: orrery… When my children were young, a dad in our social circle decided to acquaint all our young kids with the concept of space and planets. In
Reading time: Just over 6 minutes (but highly scannable) Here are my 10 favourite articles or posts from last month, focusing on the most useful, helpful and healthful pieces for writers. Summer seems strangely surreal this year. I just heard from a friend in Colorado, for example, that she must book time at a pool
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