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 Some writers try to figure out what they want to say by writing. Here’s why you should think first, write later…. Here are the mistakes I see some (not all!) academic writers make: They use the passive voice too much, hiding the ‘actor’ of […]
Think first. Write later. Read More »
Reading time: Just over 4 minutes You can be a good writer with great ideas but you may sell nothing if you don’t wrap your mind around pitching story ideas. Here’s some advice…. Are you a freelance writer who wants to increase your success rate in pitching traditional or online publications?
How to pitch stories editors will want to publish Read More »
Reading time: Less than 4 minutes Does it seem like too much work to have to begin again? The next time your writing habit falls by the wayside, don’t resent the time it takes you to re-establish it… Have you ever had a relapse from exercise? You know, you’d been
How let go of the ‘sorry cycle’ and begin writing again Read More »
Reading time: Just over 4 minutes Are you good at preventing writing problems? You need to be if you hope to become a successful freelance writer…. A brand-new client had called me to a meeting in a distant suburb. It took me more than 90 minutes to get to the
After the fall – preventing writing mistakes in the future Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes Do you have enough writing confidence to be able to get on paper whatever it is that you need to write? Confidence is surprisingly important to the act of writing… Are you equal to the task of hosting a dinner party for 12 people?
Are you up to the task of writing? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 2 minutes Do you know how to eliminate your verbal tics? It’s not easy but it’s possible. It just takes some commitment and concentration… You don’t need to have Tourette syndrome to have verbal tics. I know because I have such a tic myself: It’s the word
How to eliminate your verbal tics Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes You’ve probably heard the term “emotional intelligence” lots of times. Did you know it was something that could help writers do their work better? I read the bestselling book Emotional Intelligence — also known as EI — by Daniel Goleman, in 1996 when my
Why do the best writers have the most emotional intelligence? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes I like smartphones as much as the next person. But I also know there’s a good time to turn off your smartphone…. When my brother-in-law comes to our house for dinner he knows I’ll require him to step away from the table if he
What if you turned off your smartphone today? Read More »
Is guilt about writing (or, more accurately, not writing) driving you crazy? I have a simple solution: stop negotiating with yourself…. I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions, but if the changing of the calendar inspires you to make positive changes in your life, well, I’m all in favour of
Resolve to stop negotiating with yourself about writing Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes Is there any relationship between Christmas songs and writing? I think there is! Let me explain the lessons you can learn from your CD player…. In my final column before taking a break for holidays, I thought I’d draw your attention to some of
What these 5 Christmas songs can teach you about writing Read More »
