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, …
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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 …
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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 …
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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 sooon-to-be-published creativity book by Joel Friedlander…. I have a great deal of respect for Joel …
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 …
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Our society is obsessed with accomplishment. But doing nothing can make you more creative. Why not try that this summer? Would you feel better about your holidays if I told you that doing nothing would increase your writing creativity? I’m not making this comment …
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Here are 10 boredom cures — also known as writing tips — that can help any writer have a bit more verve…. I sometimes find myself getting bored when I write. This feeling is not the end of the world, but it’s not very …
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 …
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes How do you improve creativity? Neuroscientists suggest that you embrace the concept of messiness. I can’t write if my desk is untidy. That’s why I obsessively jam everything into my large wire inbox so my desktop at least gives the appearance of being clean. …
