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: Less than 3 minutes Are you good at collecting quotes from your interview subjects? Here’s a primer on how to ask better questions… As a former journalist, I’ve done more than my share of interviews, many of them with then big-name Canadian authors. I was a books editor […]
How to ask better questions… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes There are many benefits of walking for writers. Staying in shape is one of them. But becoming more creative is the biggest gain… I have a neighbour who often drove her three kids to school. I’m too polite to have told her off for
Why you should walk more if you’re a writer Read More »
Reading time: About 5 mins (faster if scanning) Here are my 10 favourite articles or posts from last month, focusing on the most useful, helpful and entertaining pieces for writers. This is a summer of wildfires, where I live and in other parts of North America as well. So how
PubCoach Top 10: July 2021 Read More »
Reading time: About 4 minutes Whether your absence was deliberate (a holiday) or an accident (say, a family crisis) here’s how to get back into writing after a break… If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, are you planning on taking some time off this summer? Nothing wrong with that.
How to get back into writing Read More »
Reading time: About 4 minutes Making enough time for writing challenges many people, even those who are deeply committed to their craft. Here are some practical ways to create more time for yourself…. Many of the writers I work with begin by telling me that they just “don’t have the
Writers: do you have enough time for writing? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes When the mercury starts to climb you might appreciate an icy drink — and some advice about how to write when it’s too damn hot…. If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen, according to an old adage. But those of us
How to write when it’s too damn hot Read More »
Reading time: About 5 mins (faster if scanning) Here are my 10 favourite articles or posts from last month, focusing on the most useful, helpful and entertaining pieces for writers. I love blue, cloudless skies, but I don’t much like heat, unless I can park myself beside a big pool
PubCoach top 10: June 2021* Read More »
Reading time: About 5 mins. Looking for some recommended books in time for summer 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, in early
Recommended books: summer 2021 Read More »
Reading time: About 5 minutes If you’re feeling overwhelmed right now, perhaps the concept of project management software for writers has crossed your mind. Be very careful before you take the step of buying something… Writers sometimes ask me to recommend project management software. I must confess, I’ve never used
The best project management software for writers Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Sure, you may read for fun. But if you learn how reading helps writing, you’ll start approaching the task a little differently…. An essay by Joan Didion described her husband — the late John Gregory Dunne — reading a novel. I could be wrong, but
How reading helps writing Read More »
