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 creativity book by Joel Friedlander…. I always had a great deal of respect for Joel …
How a creativity book can help you meet your muse Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Are you ever accused of being a “daydreamer”? Don’t despair! It’s actually a very good sign that you’re allowing your mind to wander… A majestic cypress tree grew outside my grade 11 classroom window, eons ago. I remember spending hours staring at it, exploring …
Allowing your mind to wander — a writing secret Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes If you’ve ever chafed against limits — time, money, raw materials or client demands — read today’s post to learn how to be more creative despite constraints… One of my clients emailed me this week with an important question about habits. “I often try to …
How constraints help you learn how to be more creative Read More »
Reading time: About 4 minutes Did you learn about mindmapping in high school? Your teacher may not have told you that mindmapping for writing is one of the best ways to use the tool… When people use terms like “writer’s block” or “resistance” or “procrastination,” I have a ready answer …
Mindmapping for writing – what people get wrong Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do you know how important stories are to writing? Learn how to be a great storyteller… Our dishwasher broke last week. It was an expensive model — a Bosch — and only three years old so I was plenty peeved. Making matters worse, our …
How to be a great storyteller Read More »
Reading time: Just over 4 minutes Do you ever despair that you’re just not creative enough? Understand that it’s not a special gift; you, too can learn to be more creative. I am friendly, quiet, highly-organized, very determined — even stubborn. I have never seen myself as the least bit creative. Nevertheless, …
How to be more creative Read More »
Reading time: Less than 4 minutes I know this may sound crazy, but, for writers, the benefits of boredom outweigh its downsides…. I’m going to ask you to do something difficult. I’d like you to stop seeing boredom as automatically undesirable, bad or negative. Instead, I ask you to see …
The benefits of boredom… Read More »
Reading time: Just over 5 mins. Clients often ask me how they can nurture their creative sparks. Here’s what I learned about creativity when producing my latest book. My new book, Your Happy First Draft, required a lot of creative sparks before it was published. But in today’s post, …
Reading time: Less than 4 minutes Do you ever feel that all you do as a writer is pay dues? If you’re feeling impatient for writing success, here’s some timely advice from actor Ann Dowd…. People I know sometimes talk about writing a bestseller. They usually say it in a …
How to survive until you’re famous or successful Read More »
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 …
