Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Writing something stupid makes sense when the alternative is simply staring at a blank computer screen… When I was a teenager, I used to babysit a girl I’ll call Michelle. She lived directly across the street from me and she was famous in our […]
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This post first appeared on Oct. 23, 2007. Reading time: less than 2 minutes I’ve noticed that effective writers tend to share seven traits. So, with apologies to Stephen Covey (pictured above), here is my own list of 7 habits worth adopting. Have you ever wondered why some people write
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This post first appeared on Aug. 17, 2010. Reading time: About 3 minutes It’s summer — and what could be better than paddling a canoe? My own paddling also made me reflect on some important rules about writing… Our summer was late getting started in Vancouver this year but it’s
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Reading time: Less than 3 minutes It used to be considered bad manners to wear a hat inside. No more! Here’s why you should always wear one of six writing hats when you’re at your computer… While I was reaching for a metaphor about writing last week, my brain suddenly
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Reading time: Just over 3 minutes Does the idea of improving writing skills make you feel hopeful and excited? If so, the term “deliberate practice” is one you need to learn… Has our writing improved in the last 100 years? This question occurred to me as I listened to a
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Reading time: Just over 3 minutes When someone thanks you, when someone helps you, when you need something, when you don’t know what to say, here’s a tip: Just say thanks… Why is the phrase “thank you” so hard to accept and so hard to say? Think about the last
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Reading time: Less than 3 minutes I’m guessing that most aspiring writers have never been serious figure skaters. Here’s why you might have more in common with that type of athlete than you imagine… Should there be a publication ban on the names of all defendants and victims in criminal
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Reading time: About 3 minutes When you write, do you begin by taking an inventory of all the stories you have at your disposal? Here’s why you should try to collect as many as you possibly can… Let me begin by telling you a story. It dates back to the
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Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do you know how to write freely? Here’s a metaphor that might help. Pretend you’re a jazz musician who’s improvising… When I moved away from home at the age of 21, I started pondering how to take music lessons. I’d always wanted to learn
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Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Are you determined enough to get your writing done? Believe it or not, stubbornness is a virtue… When one of my daughters was two she chose to present her unique personality on a family camping trip. I was about to go for a walk, and
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