Reading time: About 2 minutes Perfectionism in writing, which often leads to overwhelming guilt, is only a destructive force — not a helpful one… Are you ever haunted by the quality of your writing? Not just the occasional “I-could-have-done-better” thought (we all have those), but a deeper, more consuming guilt? […]
Creator to critic: How perfectionism in writing traps you in guilt (part 3 of 3) Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute Clients often ask me if it’s possible to earn enough money as a writer. My answer is, “it depends”…. I have earned enough money as a writer for the last 45 years. How have I been able to do this in a notoriously skinflint industry?
Do you earn enough money as a writer? Read More »
Viewing time: 5 mins 16 secs. The Write Question is a weekly video podcast about writing that I started in 2017 and that ran, more or less weekly, until April 2022. This is a republication of issue #150, which discusses how to use your memory for memoir. The post first
How to use your memory for memoir (video) 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 Julia Phillips. I think it was the New York Times book review podcast that introduced me to the writing
Julia Phillip’s figurative language… Read More »
Reading time: About 2 minutes Thanks to his earlier career as a journalist, Bretton Loney says he learned that the act of simply putting his bum in the chair was essential to writing success. Bretton Loney is a novelist and non-fiction writer who has independently published three books: The Last
Reflections on writing with Bretton Loney Read More »
Reading time: About 2 minutes Do you ever feel as though you’re not doing enough? Your researching, writing or editing is just too slow? Learn how to combat these negative feelings… Do you pour countless hours into your writing, yet feel you have too little to show for it? Does
The guilt of not doing enough (Managing guilt, part 2 of 3) Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world for material to help other writers. Today I discuss a blog post about quiet quitting — in a strategic way… Quiet quitting is a workplace trend where employees do the
A better way to approach quiet quitting Read More »
Viewing time: 4 mins 55 secs The Write Question is a weekly video podcast about writing that I started in 2017 and that ran, more or less weekly, until April 2022. This is a republication of issue #149, which discusses how to write with a short deadline. The post first
How to write with a short deadline (video) Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about similes from Alexander Chee… Alexander Chee is an American fiction writer, poet, journalist and reviewer. He spent his childhood in South Korea, Kauai, Truk, Guam and Maine. He attended the Iowa Writers’
The figurative language of Alexander Chee.. Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute Susan LeBlanc says that having a deadline is the most useful strategy for helping her to write…. Susan LeBlanc was born in Halifax, N.S., and worked as a print journalist for twenty years. She later taught journalism at the University of King’s College. Turning to
Reflections on writing with Susan LeBlanc Read More »
