Reading time: About 3 minutes By temperament, I’m an “awfulizer” — someone who always imagines the worst possible outcome. If negative thoughts plague your writing, read on for some helpful advice… A few years ago, a client told me she’d written one sentence so clumsy she wanted to delete the […]
Your brain is lying to you: six negative thoughts that stall writers 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 blog post about the working style of Fyodor Dostoevsky…. I have not yet read any
Lessons from the dazzling drafts of Fyodor Dostoevsky Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of similes and metaphors from Niall Williams…. An Irish writer whose novels have received critical acclaim and widespread success, Niall Williams is known for
Niall Williams’s figurative language… Read More »
Reading time: About 2 minutes Rod Baker firmly believes that rewriting is the single most important step of the writing process… The last full-time job Rod Baker held was as the executive director of a branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association. While he liked the work, he hated writing
Reflections on writing with Rod Baker… Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes If you ever struggle with feeling scatterbrained (and who doesn’t?), here are some practical and easy tips for you. You sit down to write. You have the time, the coffee, the open document. But your brain just won’t cooperate. You read the same sentence four
How to write when you’re feeling scatterbrained Read More »
Reading time: About 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 Guardian post on the challenges of book cover design…. Book covers — for the same book
The perils of book cover design Read More »
Reading time: Less than1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of similes from Chris Voss… A reader of my blog whose name I’ve managed to misplace (my apologies!) strongly suggested I read the book Never
The figurative language of Chris Voss…. Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Sonia Garrett says that if she can’t write, she can edit. And if she can’t edit, she can outline. And if none of that works, it’s usually because she needs more sleep. Sonia Garrett is the author of five middle-grade adventures: Maddie Makes a Movie,
Reflections on writing with Sonia Garrett… Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes There are lots of excuses but no good reasons. You need to learn how to write when you’re being interrupted… A reader wrote to me last week in despair. She works from home, has two kids and a dog and shares an office with her
The dog can wait: how to write when you’re being interrupted 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 blog post about the topic of creative mistakes…. German scientist Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894) once
Are you making creative mistakes? Read More »
