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: calcareous… I’ve been captivated by the very fine writing of Stefan Hertmans. The Belgian writer and head of a study centre at University College Ghent is the […]
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Reading time: About 3 minutes Many characteristics can help writers succeed. But here’s one you might not have thought of: Did you know it would help to learn how to develop grit? Some people see me as successful. Maybe this is because I was a senior editor at a then-large metropolitan daily newspaper at the
Do your writing habits reveal grit? Read More »
In a previous post, I gave detailed directions about how to launch a sustainable writing habit. Today, I’m going to delve in a little deeper and I’ve provided slightly different directions, depending on the nature of your project and your own background: If you need to do any research… Be sure to have a place
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Reading time: Less than 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of metaphors from writer Samantha Harvey…. There is a pop star named Samantha Harvey but the person I’m talking about today is very fine writer by the same name.
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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: ensorcelled…. I read the New York Times on my cellphone each day and get a great deal of pleasure out of the 30 or so minutes I
What does ‘ensorcelled’ mean? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes Are you familiar with the phrase urgency bias? It’s governing your life and you need to stop it in its tracks if you want to write. When you hear that something is “urgent” how does that make you feel? Worried? Anxious? Sweaty? Panicked? According to researchers from Johns Hopkins,
How I deal with “urgency bias” so it doesn’t wreck my writing plans Read More »
You have signed up for a writing program with me. Here is an initial “how to” post, offering guidance for how to get the most out of this program. Understand that writing is NOT the only goal: If you’re ready to write, that’s great. But if you’re not, that’s also fine. You can use accountability
READ THIS FIRST: How to develop a sustainable writing habit – Part 1 Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of metaphors and similes from Alice Miller… Alice Miller is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the International Institute of Modern Letters. She has worked as an historian,
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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: menhir… Most of us have vocabularies that are highly specific. They often reveal the places in which we live. Circular intersections were first developed in Europe, for
Reading time: About 4 minutes If you’ve ever thought of pursuing a freelance writing career, learn the steps you need to take to make yourself a more successful freelancer. I was 25 years old when I sold my first article to a national magazine. It took me about three years to make that sale but,
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