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: Less than 3 minutes Do you have enough mental toughness for writing? If not, here are four suggestions about how to increase it…. Have you ever noticed the similarities between writing and making music or exercising? Each of these activities requires practice, commitment and repetition and we get […]
Four ways to build mental toughness for writing Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes If you want to get better at writing you probably think diligent work is the key. Here’s why writers should reflect and plan, instead…. Have you ever used an expression like, “experience is the very best teacher,” or “I learned everything I know from
Is lack of reflection sabotaging your writing? Read More »
You may dismiss the Rolling Stones as old-time rock ‘n rollers, druggies or a group of has-beens, but it turns out that Keith Richards’ writing advice is surprisingly wise…. I’m old enough to have been a seven-year-old when the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. (“Those boys have hair
Five writing lessons from Keith Richards… Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you know how to write a complaint letter? The rules are straightforward but surprisingly challenging to apply… My 20-year-old son, who’s studying to become an opera singer, recently gave me a complaint he’d written about one of his professors. He wanted to know if
How to write a complaint that gets results Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Here are 10 boredom cures — also known as writing tips — that can help any writer have a bit more verve…. I sometimes find myself getting bored when I write. This feeling is not the end of the world, but it’s not very
How to save yourself from boredom while writing Read More »
Reading time: Less than 4 minutes Do you lack an office? Here are nine ways to make writing from home more productive for you…. When I started working from home in 1996, my triplets were two years old. I know, I know. Crazy! And my office didn’t even have a
How to make writing from home more effective Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Does the mere thought of writing make you feel exhausted? There are some good scientific reasons explaining why writing is so tiring… Do you spend most of your day sitting? And does it astonish you that you’re exhausted by the time the day ends? Our
Why is writing so tiring? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Establishing the writing habit will pay you big dividends into the future. It doesn’t matter how many words you produce each day. What matters is that you DO it…. When you read the subject line to this post perhaps, you thought, “Nah, it’s summer.
How to develop a rock-solid writing habit Read More »
Reading time: Less than 6 minutes It’s hard to find good help, and that issue becomes particularly challenging when you need to learn how to hire an editor…. When I worked in the newspaper business, several decades ago, I interviewed then-famous Canadian writer June Callwood, and I wrote a piece
How to find and hire an editor Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Sometimes, being “sticky” is a desirable trait. At other times, it’s a bad idea. Here’s how to figure out if you’re using too many sticky words…. Ever since Chip and Dan Heath wrote the 2007 bestselling book Made to Stick, many of us have seen the
Do you use too many sticky words? Read More »
