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 3 minutes Do you hem and haw? Feel jittery? Wring your hands? Or do you already know how to make good writing decisions? When I was in my mid-30s, I sat down to make a decision that would change the course of my life.I had given birth to triplets in 1994 and had recently […]
How to make better writing decisions Read More »
Reading time: About 4 minutes Is distraction free writing something that eludes you? Read on to learn about five practical tips for achieving it… Here is a scary number: The average person is distracted every 40 seconds when working at their computer.Isn’t that mind-boggling? We can’t work for even a literal minute without being interrupted or interrupting ourselves.And worse, it takes
How to harness the power of distraction free writing Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute Most of us would like to be faster writers. But how do we get there? Today I address the question: How long does it take to write 1000 words… Do you know how long it takes to write 1,000 words? Or do you know how many words you can
How long does it take to write 1000 words? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Do your emotions ever interfere with your ability to write? Here’s how you can learn how to write when you don’t want to… Many years ago I took on the (unpaid) job of producing a one-time magazine for a volunteer effort. Two days before the magazine was due to go
How to write when you don’t want to Read More »
Reading time: About 6 minutes (easy to scan, though) You’ve probably read a lot about artificial intelligence in the last few weeks. What about ChatGPT for writers? I started paying attention to chatter about artificial intelligence and writing late last year. I was reading a post about it by a blogger I follow. Turns out,
ChatGPT for writers: does it work? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Don’t fear change. Instead, embrace it. Become an adaptable writer who is able and willing to face whatever comes your way… When I worked at a daily newspaper in the 1980s, my desk was in a large room with roughly 100 other people, most of them talking on the phone.
How to be a more adaptable writer Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes If you’re an academic seeking publication in a peer-reviewed journal, here’s a trick that will dramatically increase your odds of success…. I seldom write posts aimed at only one segment of my audience, but today’s column is intended for academics and grad students. If you don’t fall into that category,
How to increase your odds of publication in a peer-reviewed journal Read More »
Reading time: About 4 minutes For a writer there are few things more frightening than hand pain from writing. Our livelihood — and our source of joy — is at stake! When I was a child in a family of seven, I had the clearest, most beautiful writing in the household. In fact, it was
Ouch! How to deal with hand pain from writing Read More »
Reading time: About 4 minutes Shortening sentences — or, at least editing longer ones — is a great trick for making your writing more accessible to more readers… When I lead a writing workshop with a sizeable group of engineers or business people, I notice that many of them write sentences that are way too long.
Shortening sentences: a simple guide Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you know how to let your mind wander? Don’t worry if people call you a “daydreamer.” A wandering mind is your passport to greater creativity. A majestic cypress tree grew outside my grade 11 classroom window, eons ago. I remember spending hours staring at it, exploring its velvety green
How to let your mind to wander — a writing secret Read More »
