Reading time: Just over 4 minutes Do you know how to make stress work for you? Or do you simply dread it? Here is some advice specifically for writers…. Working as a senior editor in a metropolitan daily newspaper (1984-1990) was one of the happiest times of my life. I […]
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I’ve always seen writing as a multi-faceted job, requiring many steps. There’s… Planning Thinking Researching Thinking some more Mindmapping Writing Substantive editing Copy editing Proofreading Publishing/getting published The trouble is, many people see ‘writing’ as only one step – a giant hairball of a process in which they sit at a keyboard and try to
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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 actor Frank Langella…. I’ve long admired the acting of Frank Langella, (pictured above), and never more so than for
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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: gormless… My father had English-born parents — his dad was a farmer from Cornwall and his mother, a highly educated woman from
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Reading time: Just over 4 minutes Do you get frustrated by what you can’t seem to achieve? Here are 13 ways to develop writing goals that work for you… Whenever my husband and I play a board game — like Rummikub or Bananagram — Eric always rolls his eyes at me.
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I encourage participants in the Get It Done program to write in the morning. As early as possible (as long as you don’t shortchange your sleep). Why? Our brains are most creative during and immediately after sleep. If you ever remember any of your dreams, you’ll know what I mean by creativity. The kooky things
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Despite COVID, I’ve been lucky enough to arrange for a second very brief holiday this summer. This time, my husband and I are heading to Galiano Island (see image above) where we’ll be spending six days in a very small, 650-sq.-ft (or so) cabin. While our adult daughters hold the
Reading time: Just over 4 minutes Is writing perfectionism something that troubles you? Here’s a list of practical tips to help you vanquish that unruly beast! Many clients tell me they don’t write because they’re perfectionists. They can’t start their writing, they say, because they know it won’t be good
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When my husband sees my daily time sheet, he rolls his eyes at me. “It looks like you’re a lawyer,” he says. He doesn’t mean that as a compliment. But do you know what? I don’t care. My daily time sheet, which I started using about three years ago, has more than tripled my efficiency.
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Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of similes from Irish writer Naoise Dolan…. A 28-year-old Dubliner, Naoise Dolan (pictured above), studied English literature at Trinity College Dublin and Oxford University. Her
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