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 3 minutes The real problem with writing is not spelling or grammar. It’s persuading yourself to put enough words on the page…. I’ve been spending a lot of time on the internet reading what others have to say about writing. Too many of them sound like Julie McGuire who wrote in […]
The REAL problem with writing Read More »
Reading time: Less than 5 minutes What writing lessons do you need to learn? Here are five I picked up when writing my soon-to-be published book…. My second book, Your Happy First Draft, went to the printers in September 2019. That month also marked another important occasion: The 700th issue of Power Writing, this weekly newsletter/blog that
Five writing lessons I learned from ‘Your Happy First Draft’ Read More »
Reading time: Less than 4 minutes Do you want to write a book? It may help you to realize that a book is the natural result of a writing habit…. I read an article in the New York Times recently, exploring the relationship between swimming and happiness. I don’t swim much myself (except when it’s
How to write a book as a side effect Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes Want to play a part in my next book? Consider joining my book launch team! Details below… My next book, Your Happy First Draft, is going to the printer this month. Yahoo! Even though I’m by nature a died-in-the wool awfulizer, I cannot believe how long the final stages —
Be part of the street team for my next book Read More »
Reading time: Just over 5 minutes Do you need some tips for writing from home? If you find it hard to get settled or impossible to accomplish anything, here’s my advice on how to turn yourself into a productivity master… I’ve always loved working from home. Oops, let me correct that statement. Working from home
15 tips for writing from home Read More »
Reading time: Just over 4 minutes Do you know how to work when you don’t feel like it? These seven tricks can help you survive the hottest summer…. Compared to the rest of the year, my phone rings half as often in the summer and my email takes a dip of about a quarter. (Regrettably,
How to work in the summer, when you don’t feel like it Read More »
Reading time: About 9 minutes (skimmable in 4) Few subjects are as mysterious as the art of finding your voice. If you’re a writer struggling with that problem, here’s what I suggest you do… What is writer’s voice? And, how can you find yours? You’d think this should be a simple explanation but it’s the opposite
What is writer’s voice? And how can you find yours? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes You may think you’re too busy to write, but first ask yourself whether you could build a writing habit… Are you too busy to write right now? I know I am. I’m dealing with a bit of a family emergency and I spent the past hour on the phone with
Too busy to write? Here’s what to do Read More »
Reading time: Just over 4 minutes 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 July and December. Here is
Recommended books: Summer 2019 Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes You may think today’s world belongs to the tech geeks. But, really, it belongs to the writers. Here’s how to improve your writing…. I sometimes divide the world into two camps: people who can write, and those who can’t. But there’s probably an even more relevant division: people who
Why it’s more important than ever to learn to write Read More »
