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 series of tweets collected by Elizabeth McCracken…. Who is Elizabeth McCracken and how did she get to be so smart […]
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Reading time: About 4 minutes Writing a book seems like such a demanding job. Why would you want to blog before writing your book? Here are seven reasons…. I blogged for two entire years before I wrote my first book, 8½ Steps to Writing Faster, Better. At the time, I was highly self-critical of my lack
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Reading time: About 3 minutes If you want to boost your writing creativity, consider reducing your writing time…. Do you dread writing? Feel uncomfortable and daunted by it? Want only to delay, postpone or procrastinate? Some psychologists have studied the relationship between our mental state and our creative output. And here’s the interesting point: they
Of time, happiness, creativity and writing accomplishments…. 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 New York Times profile of Deborah Eisenberg…. American short-story writer and professor of writing at Columbia University, Deborah Eisenberg (pictured above) was an
Discovering Deborah Eisenberg Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes I know it might seem unreasonable that you should be spending less time writing (particularly if you’re a procrastinator) but read on to learn why I offer this counterintuitive advice… I meet with clients every week who confess they don’t spend nearly enough time writing. They’re usually embarrassed and ashamed
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Reading time: Less than 3 minutes There are few jobs less glamourous than rebuilding your website. But sometimes the work just needs to be done… It was the hottest day of the year. I glanced at the thermometer in the room and saw that it read 86 degrees F (30 C). I reluctantly put on
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Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Being called a copycat is generally an insult. Instead, I think it’s a valuable tool for writers to try… If you were ever able to sneak into my home office around 6 am on a weekday morning, you just might find me hunched over my computer, copying words written by another
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Reading time: About 3 minutes How does your writing life intersect with your sleeping one? In fact, how much sleep do writers need, anyway? How often do you hear that it’s just about mandatory to start writing earlier in the day? About 30 seconds of research showed me that a great many people offer this advice
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Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Has a piece of writing ever left you stymied? My guess is that you may have overthought it. Here’s why overthinking is bad for writers… When I teach people about mindmapping, I try to be explicit about one thing. My use of the phrases “left side of the brain” and
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Reading time: Less than 3 minutes This may sound crazy but if you want to reach your goals you may have to reduce them. Here are the benefits of beginning to reduce your writing goals… If you speak the ‘language’ of goals, you’ll understand there are all sorts of rules to follow. SMART goals are
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