Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do you try to play the hero when you’re ill — dragging yourself into work even when you feel like collapsing? Or do you tend to fold at the first sneeze? Neither approach is optimal. Here are 7 ways you can be more productive when you’re sick…. Brace yourself […]
7 ways freelance writers can be more productive when sick Read More »
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 new book written by Paul Anthony Jones…. I’ve just identified the first book I want to put on my Christmas
Paul Anthony Jones seeks to resurrect 366 old words Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes Looking for some recommended books in time for holiday reading? Here’s my semi-annual roundup of books I’ve read this year. I aim to read 52 books every 12 months and my habit is to post a complete list of the names of them for you, in June and November. Here is
Recommended books: Christmas 2017 Read More »
Reading time: Just over 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 New York Times Magazine piece on writer John McPhee…. I first heard of writer John McPhee [pictured above] back in 1982.
Considering John McPhee… Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes Do you ever give yourself treats for writing? You should. Take five minutes right now and develop a reward strategy you can employ to bolster your spirits… As any six-year-old will tell you, Halloween is not just a holiday for ghosts and goblins. It celebrates the inner candy monster
Tricks and treats for writing Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do you have enough mental toughness for writing? If not, here are four suggestions about how to increase it…. Have you ever noticed the similarities between writing and making music or exercising? Each of these activities requires practice, commitment and repetition and we get worse at them when we
Four ways to build mental toughness for writing Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes If you want to get better at writing you probably think diligent work is the key. Here’s why writers should reflect and plan, instead…. Have you ever used an expression like, “experience is the very best teacher,” or “I learned everything I know from the school of hard knocks?”
Is lack of reflection sabotaging your writing? 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: fatberg…. You’ll certainly be familiar with the word iceberg, but have you ever heard of a fatberg? I hadn’t until I received an email from longtime reader
What’s a ‘fatberg’? Read More »
You may dismiss the Rolling Stones as old-time rock ‘n rollers, druggies or a group of has-beens, but it turns out that Keith Richards’ writing advice is surprisingly wise…. I’m old enough to have been a seven-year-old when the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. (“Those boys have hair like girls,” chided an elderly
Five writing lessons from Keith Richards… Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you know how to write a complaint letter? The rules are straightforward but surprisingly challenging to apply… My 20-year-old son, who’s studying to become an opera singer, recently gave me a complaint he’d written about one of his professors. He wanted to know if it was “too harsh.” More
How to write a complaint that gets results Read More »
