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 I received a distressing email from a client a few weeks ago. He had just run his latest article through an editing app I recommend, Count Wordsworth, and also through ProWritingAid, and Online-Utility.org, two other editing apps I favour. Troublingly, all the results were different. So, what do these […]
How do you count your words? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 4 minutes Are emotional disturbances stopping you from writing? Here’s how to protect the “future you”…. I started thinking about the concept of “future you” — the writer you will be days, weeks or months down the road — when one of the participants in my Get It Done program had
How to protect the “future you” who writes Read More »
Reading time: About 5 minutes Are you a feast-or-famine freelancer? Here’s how to avoid that prickly situation and give yourself a more reliable cash flow… I’ve been a freelance writer, editor and writing coach for more than 20 years. Whenever I use the phrase “feast or famine,” I get knowing and sympathetic looks from people
How to survive the feast or famine of freelance writing Read More »
Isn’t it ironic how “time saving” devices — like email — end up robbing us of our productivity? Read on to learn how to manage your email. I don’t really believe in new year’s resolutions, but I understand the I’m-going-to-do-better-this-year feeling that washes over many of us when the calendar moves to Jan. 1. It
How to manage your email so it doesn’t manage you Read More »
Reading time: Just over 4 minutes Do you struggle to find the time to write? Here’s how to establish a writing routine that will work no matter how little time you have. I’m doing it again. For the second week in a row I’m writing a serious, content-filled post about writing — right when your
How to establish a writing routine Read More »
Reading time: Less than 4 minutes Do you ever feel that all you do as a writer is pay dues? If you’re feeling impatient for writing success, here’s some timely advice from actor Ann Dowd…. People I know sometimes talk about writing a bestseller. They usually say it in a joke-y kind of way, but
How to survive until you’re famous or successful Read More »
Reading time: Just over 4 minutes Looking for some recommended books in time for holiday 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 November and June. Here is a
Recommended books: Christmas 2018 Read More »
Reading time: Less than 4 minutes You’re probably not an athlete so why am I talking about pep talks? They work! Even pep talks for writers…. As we approach the end of 2018, you may be facing feelings of regret or, perhaps, even dread. Do you find yourself thinking or saying any of the following
How to give yourself a pep talk that actually works Read More »
Reading time: Just over 4 minutes If overwork is not only getting you down but also making it difficult to write, don’t be a victim. Instead, take charge of the situation…. Are you feeling overworked? You may have this feeling with writing itself. Or, perhaps your regular day job is squeezing you so hard you
13 ways to prevent overwork from affecting your writing Read More »
Reading time: Less than 4 minutes Has the thought of hybrid publishing ever crossed your mind? Here’s why you might want to think twice…. We have hybrid cars, hybrid cuisines (think Japanese-American fusion) and, now, hybrid publishing. Those cars improve efficiency and reduce pollution. And that food is often innovative and delicious. So is hybrid
Why I’m suspicious of hybrid publishing Read More »
