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 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 you automatically? I’m always surprised […]
Why you should stop multi-tasking Read More »
Reading time: About 4 minutes Did your mother ever say to you, ‘don’t try to be what you’re not’? It’s excellent advice for writers, as well…. If you want to succeed as a writer, the worst thing you can do is try to be something you’re not. Do you know what I mean by this? For example,
Writers: Don’t try to be what you’re not… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 4 minutes Does the concept of rewarding yourself strike you as juvenile or frivolous? It’s not! Here’s why you should reward yourself for writing…. I once took an online writing course in which the leader encouraged us to give ourselves $2 a day for writing. I remember thinking: Two dollars a
Why you should reward yourself, frequently Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes I thought naming my triplets was tough, but coming up with the name for my new book has proven to be even more challenging… My next book is in the final stages (throes?) of copy editing right now and I’ll be relieved to be able to send it off
Please help me choose a name for my new book Read More »
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 »
