Power Writing

Reading time: About 3 minutes If strange words and counter-intuitive ideas appeal to you, read on to learn how jootsing can improve your writing… The word looks ridiculous on the page: Jootsing. And it sounds worse out loud. Try saying, “I jootsed today” with a straight face. Still, the idea behind it is incredibly useful. […]

Reading time: About 3 minutes Are you part of the select group of people actually achieving writing goals? Or did you give up on them back in February? Every January, writers everywhere make the same promises. Finish the novel. Submit to 12 literary magazines. Build a newsletter audience. Write every single day without fail. Now

Reading time: About 3 minutes It sounds counterintuitive, but working less as a writer will actually help make you more productive… Here’s a confession that’s going to sound lazy: By noon, I’m often done with the serious work of the day. Why: I do most of my best writing before 10 a.m. I’m not bragging.

Reading time: About 3 minutes Don’t white-knuckle your way through a first draft. Instead, learn to rehabilitate your attention. Did you know that school children are having a hard time watching movies in class? Why? Because the movies are too long. Raised on a diet of 10-second videos and their parents’ glazed-over phone faces, kids

Reading time: About 3 minutes Academic writing is challenging. Here are four mistakes that will stall your dissertation…. If you want more support and accountability for your writing, now is the time to think about joining my three-month writing program. The quarterly admission window closes at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, and the next opportunity to join

Reading time: About 3 minutes The NATO typo shows why we need to learn from our mistakes and not obsess over them… It was a jaw-dropping typo. And it appeared in an astonishing place — the New York Times. In a headline. It read: “A North American Treaty Organization Without America?” In fact, if you

Reading time: About 3 minutes Writing feels hard for many people. Check out my eight suggestions for dealing with that problem. I’m running a one-hour class on revising this week — perfect for writers who’ve taken courses with me before, though of course anyone can jump in. We’ll tackle structure, clarity and how to polish

Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you know how to fix writing weaknesses? Do you recognize them when they appear in your drafts? Learning to deal with weakness is an important step for any writer… Let’s tackle your writing headaches together! Join me for a free live Q&A on April 2 at 1 p.m. Pacific

Reading time: About 3 minutes Don’t let writer’s guilt prey on your nerves or get in your way! It’s a totally unnecessary emotion… When I wrote my honours thesis in poli sci many decades ago, I was consumed with guilt. I’d taken too long. I’d changed my topic once and wanted to change it again

Reading time: About 2 minutes There are a million different approaches to writing, but many writing systems fail. Here’s why and how to deal with the problem… Have you ever told yourself you needed better discipline or better habits? Here’s the issue: Sometimes the problem isn’t the writer — it’s the systems around you. Yes,