Reading time: About 5 minutes (faster to scan) Do you ever write down what you need to accomplish? Here’s why all writers need checklists… Before I get into today’s column, can I ask for a quick favour? I’m looking for testimonials from people who get value from my newsletter. If […]
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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 why you shouldn’t be too quick to listen to agents…. In a recent column, publishing expert Jane Friedman tells the heartbreaking
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Viewing time: 4 mins 40 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 #161, which considers whether it’s wise to revisit mindmaps. The post first ran
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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 metaphors and similes from Coco Mellors… Coco Mellors is a British writer living in the U.S. and known for her work in novels, copywriting, journalism, and
The figurative language of Coco Mellors… Read More »
Reading time: About 2 minutes Sarah WaterRaven says writing is no different from any other profession…. Sarah WaterRaven is an urban fantasy author who says she kills people and then distracts readers with pixies. She is the author of Detective Docherty and I Fell in Love with a Necromancer. I
Reflections on writing with Sarah WaterRaven… Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Are you making writing too hard for yourself? Here are seven common mistakes that plague many people… When I wrote my first book, 17 years ago, I struggled to sit down to produce the first draft. I procrastinated constantly (I’d rather have worked on my
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Reading time: About 1 minute This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world for material. Today I discuss the concept of a numbers game for writers… Are you familiar with the writer Steven Pressfield? He is perhaps best known for his views on
How do you play the numbers game for writers? Read More »
Viewing time: 4 mins 28 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 #160, which addresses whether there’s ever enough time for academics to write —
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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 metaphors from Fern Brady…. Fern Brady is a Scottish comedian, podcaster and writer. She achieved fame as a stand-up comedian at venues like the Edinburgh
The figurative language of Fern Brady… Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you ever let your mind wander? Here’s why that might actually be a good idea… You’re lying on your couch reading a book, and all of a sudden you realize you’ve read three pages and you don’t have a clue what’s been going on
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