Reading time: 2 and a half minutes Is perfectionism spoiling your writing? Here’s what you can tell yourself to deal with that problem… I’ve made many mistakes in my life. One of the most embarrassing ones relates to my brief but exciting life as a newspaper books editor in 1984. […]
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Word count: 720 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes A bag of hammers typically refers to something that’s dumb or stupid. But I prefer Michael J. Fox’s definition — he takes it to mean anything that makes our lives more difficult…. I’m not generally a star-struck kind of person
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Word count: 741 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes We are all good at something. Too bad we don’t get to choose our talents. I’d like to be able to sing….or to learn languages easily…or even to write… My triplets turned 19 on Saturday. The family milestone has set
Why your writing talent doesn’t matter Read More »
Word count: 700 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do you suffer from writing shame? Even if you’re not aware of it, it may be the secret monster that’s sapping your writing strength…. When I was 10 years old, one summer morning I remember standing at my kitchen door,
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Word count: 496 words Reading time: Less than 2 minutes Let me give you the reasons why you shouldn’t be terribly eager to accept the label “good writer.” Our society is pretty funny (funny-strange, not funny-ha-ha) when it comes to the word “good.” This one-syllable, four-letter word is both vague
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Word count: 748 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do you suffer from procrastination when writing? Here are five tips that will help you get more words on the page, faster. Many of us postpone doing things we don’t like. Taxes (guilty!) Washing dishes (guilty, occasionally.) Making the bed
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Word count: 682 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do you have the self-control to motivate yourself to write regularly? If not, consider this book one of the best possible tips for writing. I really, really, really, really didn’t want to write today’s column. I’ve been covered in hives
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Word count: 733 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do you know how to stop procrastinating about your writing? Let me give you five suggestions that should help… A friend of mine emailed me last week, despairing over her very bright teenager’s inability to finish an essay. The essay
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Reading time: 2.5 minutes If you’re an “awfulizer” who procrastinates until deadlines are near (or passed!) here are five writing tips to help you become eager and optimistic about writing…. Awfulizers are people who expect the worst. They are the Alexanders of this world, constantly experiencing one terrible, horrible, no
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Word count: 752 words Reading time: About 3 minutes Are you generally able to write easily and freely? If not, you might want to consider working to develop “flow”…. I first heard about Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi about 15 years ago. The Hungarian psychology professor — now at Claremont, formerly at University
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