Word count: 730 words Reading time: About 2.75 minutes Do you have good luck when you shop? When you write? While luck is marvellous, it’s not something you should count on any more than you’d expect to be able to find a really cheap tuxedo. Read on to learn why…. […]
Writing lessons from a cheap tuxedo Read More »
Word count: 750 Reading time: 3 minutes Many of the writers I know find math intimidating. I think it is, too. But that doesn’t stop me from using it! I passed math 11 only by promising to never, ever, take math again. At the time, I thought it was a
Why you should use a writing calculator Read More »
Word count: 691 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes Don’t be one of those writers who is reluctant to share specifics. You’re not sparing your audience – you’re depriving them! I celebrated Halloween last weekend by doing a “ghost tour.” The event wasn’t in Vancouver, where I’m already on a first-name
Why the devil is in the details Read More »
Word count: 702 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes I had a pro come to help me clean my office. The cost? Minimal. The benefits? Extraordinary. I’ve never been a hoarder except when it comes to my office. You know what a hoarder is, right? They are displayed in all
What to do when you need professional help Read More »
Word count: 648 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes It’s interesting what people from different creative arts can teach each other. Here is a lesson painter Mark Rothko recently emphasized for me. Six days ago, the only thing I knew about painter Mark Rothko, was that he was an abstract
The Mark Rothko method of writing Read More »
Word count: 758 words Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you think being a multi-tasker is a good thing? I’m not sure it’s even a possible thing… Back when my husband was young enough to wear short pants, his mother used to do the family ironing while talking to her mother-in-law,
Do you think you’re a multi-tasker? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes I’m a writer who’s more than ready to sing a battle hymn –- just not one like bestselling author Amy Chua. Much in the news in recent months, the book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, irritated me. I’d read the comments in the New York Times, the Guardian, and
Trade the tiger mother for the rooster writer Read More »
Word count: 654 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes Do you tend to criticize yourself while you write? This self-sabotaging behaviour can spell the beginning of writer’s block. Here’s how to nip it in the bud. One of my 17-year-old daughters sometimes slaps the side of her own head and says,
5 ways to get your inner critic to shut up Read More »
Word count: 747 words Reading time: About 3 minutes Have you ever lost writing? I have and it’s painful! Let me give you some tips for recovering from the experience…. I once had an editor who didn’t like me very much. It wasn’t entirely his fault. He hadn’t hired me
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Word count: 694 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes Are you one my subscribers who thinks I’m crazy to counsel AGAINST outlining? Read on to learn why I do this…. When I was a sullen high school student, many of my teachers demanded that we submit outlines with every essay. We
Five reasons why you shouldn’t outline Read More »
