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 4 minutes Some writers think their worth is measured only by their writing. Not true. The most successful writers always learn how to care more… I recently resigned from a job I’ve been doing for more than 20 years. I’m not retiring from this column or from any of my coaching — […]
Reading time: About 8 minutes (you can scan much faster, though) This list of the 50 best memoirs I’ve read over the last several decades might help you become a fan of the interesting and often sophisticated genre. My reading tends to fall upon fairly predictable lines: literary fiction (with the occasional mystery or thriller) and
50 best memoirs from the last 25 years Read More »
Reading time: About 4 minutes Want to become a better, more relaxed, more skillful writer? Learn how to improve self-awareness…. I was a 29-year old, standing in the middle of the newsroom where I worked. My six-foot-two-inch boss was looming above me, yelling at the top of his (very large) lungs. Thank goodness I had
How to improve self-awareness Read More »
Reading time: About 5 minutes Lots of people know about the importance of deliberate practice. But few explain exactly how to execute it. Here are instructions on deliberate practice for writers. As you read my column today, I’d like you to keep one metaphor in mind. Imagine that you want to learn how to play the
Why writers need deliberate practice Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Have you ever fought with how to get unstuck when writing? Here are seven tips that will help you put an end to that sticky problem…. You’re trying to write a book or long report and you’re feeling tired and uninspired. You peck out a word or two on the
How to get unstuck when writing Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes If you’re trying to become a better writer, having a forgiving writing practice will make a huge difference… I led a writing workshop for an organization last week. In the Zoom-based meeting, I challenged the 10 participants to interview me and, then, write a lede (story beginning) for the subject
Why writing is a practice… you need to practice Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you find yourself ignoring the writing you need to be doing? Or avoiding thinking about what went wrong in the past? You may be suffering from recency bias…. Even if you don’t know it by name, I’ll bet you’ve experienced recency bias. That’s the formal name for the human
Is recency bias harming your writing? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes If you can’t answer the question, “what is bike shedding,” you may be doing it yourself — to your own disadvantage as a writer… My son phoned me recently to talk about… bike shedding. When he used the word, I was certain I must have misunderstood. He’s a keen cyclist,
What is bike shedding? And why you need to stop doing it Read More »
Reading time: About 4 minutes Are you a person who thinks slow writing is inevitable? It needn’t be. If you want to bump up your speed, question the assumptions you’re making…. I’ve just read a marvelous non-fiction book by self-confessed productivity geek Oliver Burkeman. The name of it is, Four Thousand Weeks. And here’s the deal
How to make your slow writing go faster Read More »
Reading time: About 4 minutes What is a form letter? The word “form” should give you a clue. Here’s a detailed explanation as to why you should never send one…. Are you guilty of sending form letters? I have a long-established blog about writing and I get about a dozen form letters a week from
What is a form letter? And why you shouldn’t send one Read More »
