Power Writing began as a weekly newsletter in April 2006. Its purpose? To give tips and advice about writing, to tell interesting stories and to help writers everywhere work faster, better. I distribute the newsletter by email to thousands of readers around the world every week and, since March 2012, it has become the Tuesday entry of my blog.
You can read many Power Writing entries here – I back-entered all columns until the beginning of 2009, and a handful of ones that were earlier than that. But I hope you’ll consider subscribing, too. Just enter your name and email in the box next to my photo on the home page of my website. If you do that, you’ll not only receive Power Writing by email each week, you’ll also automatically get access to a 10-minute video on how to unblock your writing.
Reading time: About 2 minutes Interviewing is a skill that becomes easier with practice. In the meantime, always be sure to know which questions to ask… Do you ever need to do interviews for your writing? Maybe you’re a freelance writer who needs quotes from a vice-president or a business […]
13 questions to ask during your next interview Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Ask me if you can make money as a writer and I’ll tell you yes. But it won’t be in the way you expect… I grew up poor. My parents scrambled to put enough food on the table to feed their kids, five of us. We
Can you make money as a writer? Read More »
Reading time: About 2 minutes Are you a believer or disbeliever in the value of AI for writers? Or does the whole idea just put you off? I’ve been studying AI for the last year and I have some thoughts for you…. When my friend Jeff started talking to me
AI for writers — beyond the myths Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you think your writing would improve if only you could become more creative? Here are seven ways to boost your creativity…. We’ve never had pets in our household. Although I’d dearly love a cat, my husband is highly allergic to animal dander — and the thought
7 ways to boost your creativity Read More »
Reading time: About 4 minutes Here is a long list of hacks to help you increase your writing motivation so that it really supports you…. Have you heard of the national competition that challenges people to write a novel in 30 days, NaNoWriMo? I haven’t participated. But I have written
11 writing motivation hacks for 40,000+ words Read More »
Reading time: About 5 minutes (faster to scan) Do you ever write down what you need to accomplish? Here’s why all writers need checklists… Before I get into today’s column, can I ask for a quick favour? I’m looking for testimonials from people who get value from my newsletter. If
Why writers need checklists Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Are you making writing too hard for yourself? Here are seven common mistakes that plague many people… When I wrote my first book, 17 years ago, I struggled to sit down to produce the first draft. I procrastinated constantly (I’d rather have worked on my
7 ways you’re making writing too hard Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you ever let your mind wander? Here’s why that might actually be a good idea… You’re lying on your couch reading a book, and all of a sudden you realize you’ve read three pages and you don’t have a clue what’s been going on
Why you should LET your mind wander Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes If you ever find yourself writing through uncertainty, you’ll likely feel uncomfortable. But, instead, thank your lucky stars you have a chance to write this way… I met with a client just last week who was stuck in the messy middle of his book. He’d
Advice on writing through uncertainty Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you ever indulge in panic editing? Here’s why you shouldn’t and how to beat down the impulse… We’ve all been there. Our deadline is mere hours away, and we haven’t finished editing our writing project. Maybe we became lost in the research cycle. Perhaps
The perils of panic editing Read More »
