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 4 minutes Did you know you can help your writing with reading? Here are some tricks for doing just that… Do you ever reflect on how remarkable it is to be able to read? We can pick up books (or, increasingly, screens) and translate a bunch […]
Help your writing with (mindful) reading Read More »
Reading time: Less than 5 minutes If you want to make more time for writing you’re going to need to learn how to say no…. Are you a pleaser and accommodator? Are the letters N and O foreign to your vocabulary? If so, I have bad news for you. You’re
How to say NO to make yourself a better writer Read More »
Reading time: About 5 minutes Are you working too hard? Part of the problem may be that you’re taking too much work home with you. Here’s how to leave your writing stress behind…. My husband and I both have busy, demanding jobs (in totally different fields) and it would be
How to leave your writing stress behind Read More »
Do you faithfully follow your goals, even when the going gets tough? Or do you tend to give up rather easily? It might help you to learn how to make your writing resilient… Reading time: Just over 4 minutes Anyone who’s been on a diet — not that I’m endorsing
9 ways to make your writing more resilient Read More »
Reading time: Less than 4 minutes Travel can be relaxing but it’s also invigorating. And, against all odds, it might even teach you some writing lessons…. One way I amuse myself is by finding writing lessons in unusual places or situations. My husband and I recently spent four weeks in
Five writing lessons from Australia & New Zealand Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Arthur Quiller-Couch developed his famous maxim — murder your darlings — while working as a professor of English at Cambridge University near the turn of the last century. Here’s why his advice still applies to writers today…. I have a close friend, whose work
Why you must murder your darlings Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do you tend to set big fat writing goals for yourself? Today’s column describes what the Japanese can teach you about writing…. When my family and I moved out of our house for a major renovation 10 years ago, we wore our paper shredder to
What the Japanese can teach you about writing Read More »
Reading time: less than 3 minutes Many people use PowerPoint as the default tool for writing their speeches and presentations. That’s not always a wise decision…. Whenever I’ve written about the software PowerPoint, I’ve usually received a flood of email. A few readers may disagree with my basic premise that
If not PowerPoint, then what? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 2 minutes The pomodoro technique is a time-management tool used by millions of people around the world. It’s particularly useful for writers and students…. I’m a big believer in the magic of three. You know — the three little pigs, the three Musketeers, the three Stooges. There’s something
Why you need your own pomodoro Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes Multi-tasking isn’t the good idea it’s often cracked up to be. But there are some especially important reasons why writers shouldn’t multi-task… I have a simple question I ask everyone I coach and it’s this: Do you let your computer collect your email for
Why you should stop multi-tasking Read More »
