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: Just over 6 minutes (but highly scannable) Here are my 10 favourite articles or posts from last month, focusing on the most useful, helpful and healthful pieces for writers. Summer seems strangely surreal this year. I just heard from a friend in Colorado, for example, that she must […]
PubCoach top 10: July 2020 Read More »
Reading time: Just over 5 minutes If you spend too much time daydreaming — whether happily or unhappily — you’ll lose time to write. Here’s how to calm your wandering mind. When we sit down to write, our minds often pick precisely that moment to go for a little wander.
How to calm your wandering mind Read More »
Reading time: Just over 4 minutes Is procrastination the thief of YOUR time? Here’s a clever and easy idea for how to beat procrastination…. Are you looking for a sure-fire way to stop procrastinating about writing? My tip may surprise you. I suggest that you write every day — or,
How to beat procrastination for good Read More »
Reading time: About 6 minutes (but very scannable) 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
Recommended books: Summer 2020 Read More »
Reading time: Less than 6 minutes (and very scannable) Here are my 10 favourite articles or posts from last month, focusing on the most useful, helpful and healthful pieces for writers. As summer starts to settle in, I’m feeling sun on my face and arms, going for socially distanced picnics
PubCoach Top 10: June 2020 Read More »
Reading time: About 5 minutes If you’ve ever considered going back to school, you may have asked yourself whether you should get an MFA. Today’s post looks at that idea in some detail. When I was in my 30s, I briefly considered going back to school and getting an MBA
Should you get an MFA? Read More »
Reading time: About 5 minutes Are you tired of being interrupted? A host of people — from needy children to noisy neighbours — can derail you if you don’t protect your writing from interruptions… As I write this column, a contractor sits in our front yard using a skill-saw. He’s
Protect your writing from interruptions — here’s how Read More »
Reading time: Less than 5 minutes Do you want to learn how to get better organized? I’m an imperfect person in so many different ways, but I do know a few helpful things about organization… I am the best organized person I know. I say this not to brag —
How to get better organized for writing Read More »
Reading time: About 6 minutes (but very scannable) Here are my 10 favourite articles or posts from last month, focusing on the most useful, helpful and healthful pieces for writers. Is anyone else a little tired of this pandemic? (Rhetorical question.) I spent this month making an explicit effort to
PubCoach Top 10: May 2020 Read More »
Reading time: Just over 4 minutes Have you ever struggled to figure out your best time for writing? Here’s how to calculate that total, scientifically… In an effort to make lemonade out of the big fat lemon that’s the COVID pandemic, let me suggest you try a small experiment related
Figure out your best time for writing Read More »
