Power Writing

Reading time: About 5 minutes Looking for some recommended books in time for Christmas reading? Here’s my semi-annual roundup of books I’ve read this year.  I aim to read 52 books every 12 months, and my habit is to post a complete list of the names of them for you, twice a […]

Reading time: About 3 minutes Does writing ramp up your stress and cause you to blow the occasional gasket? Here’s how to become a calmer person… I’m usually a calm person, but I’ll never forget the time a crisis threatened to obliterate my composure. It occurred when I had a

Reading time: About 3 minutes Are you rethinking your career as a writer in the age of AI? Read this post before you do that! Some people see AI as so disruptive they believe it’s going to eliminate the need for writers entirely. Cue apocalyptic music. While I have lots

Reading time: About 4 minutes How do you increase your attention? You consider these seven steps to deal with attention residue, that’s how! Do you ever feel as though your mind has become like a library bulletin board, plastered with reminders you never requested? Even if you’re not aware of

Reading time: About 2 minutes Being observant is practically a job requirement for writers. Here’s how to get better at noticing… Once, when I was a teenager, I’d lined up for lunch in the cafeteria with friends. I remember looking at the appalling desserts in the glass case and commenting

Reading time: About 3 minutes There’s a big difference between simple and simplistic. Is your writing too simple? Probably not… I’m guessing you’d be unhappy if someone called your writing “dumbed down.” Yup, that’s an insult. The word “dumb” is the clue. But what if someone described your writing as

Reading time: About 3 minutes If you want to become a better writer, you need to understand that writing practice beats theory every time… When I started learning how to write for newspapers, back in my late teens, I felt as though I was hitting my head against a wall.

Reading time: About 4 minutes Don’t avoid the vulnerability of making decisions. Instead, learn how to deal with your analysis paralysis… Most of us get a certain delicious pleasure when we hear rhymes. The Cat in the Hat One, Two, Buckle My Shoe Jack and Jill Went Up the Hill

Reading time: About 4 minutes No writing project ever goes perfectly. Today I describe what you can do when your writing hits an inevitable wall… Would you like to write without the angst and distress often associated with getting started. This is a reminder about my one-hour class, The Right-Hook

Reading time: About 3 minutes If you’ve never learned how to forgive yourself for not writing, take a few minutes to learn how to do that today…. I was eight years old, and a neighbourhood friend — the same age as me — dropped by to visit. I opened the door