Reading time: About 6 minutes (but very scannable) Here are my 10 favourite articles or posts from last month, focusing on the most useful, helpful and healthful pieces for writers. Is anyone else a little tired of this pandemic? (Rhetorical question.) I spent this month making an explicit effort to find great articles, blog posts […]
PubCoach Top 10: May 2020 Read More »
I think every Get It Done member knows that I don’t recommend outlining before writing. But outlining is a very clever trick to use AFTER you’ve written. And you can even get MS Word to help you prepare that outline. I’ve made a video, below, to show you exactly how to do that. This video
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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: asymptote… I am drawn to stories on the coronavirus the way some people are drawn to car accidents. Whenever I pass a car accident, I look away.
What’s an ‘asymptote’? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 4 minutes Have you ever struggled to figure out your best time for writing? Here’s how to calculate that total, scientifically… In an effort to make lemonade out of the big fat lemon that’s the COVID pandemic, let me suggest you try a small experiment related to writing. (BTW, I’m assuming
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Here is my first instructional video for the Get It Done program. (Thanks to Ann Gomez for introducing me to the software.) My topic? How to use the software ProWritingAid. Because this video depends on seeing what I’m talking about, I’m not going to provide a transcript. If you have ever struggled with ProWritingAid —
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Reading time: Just over 3 minutes A research diary can take a number of different forms, but it will help you declare your opinions about your research AND allow you to stay connected with the writing process…. After reading The Diary of Anne Frank, at about the age of 11, I started keeping a diary.
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss a blog post about why we should stop refreshing the news… Have you heard? There’s a pandemic. Of course, you know
Are you still refreshing the news? Read More »
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: demesne…. Mark Haddon is a fine novelist with one bestseller behind him, and a new book in the offing. The celebrated 2003 bestseller is The Curious Incident
What does the word ‘demesne’ mean? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 4 minutes Social distancing is sending many of us scurrying to our screens. But is that a good idea? How can we cope when our lives are governed by screens? If you’re a writer, odds are high you’re an introvert — someone who regains energy by spending time alone. While of
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I consult with many writers who have more than one project on the go. Sometimes they get frustrated that one project is “taking off” while another is dragging behind. “What’s the solution?” they ask me, with enormous frustration in their voices. You may find my answer surprising, but the solution is to work on both
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