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: About 3 minutes Some writers feel as though they’re working in a black hole. Ask them the question, ‘Are you getting enough writing feedback?’ and they’ll answer with a resounding no… Back in my freelancing days, I used to write the occasional piece for national magazines. I didn’t […]
Are you getting enough writing feedback? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 6 minutes Even if you don’t know exactly how many words you can produce in an hour, here’s how to write faster… Ask a bunch of journalists or professional writers how many words they can produce in an hour and you’ll get a dog-pile of half-answers and
The ultimate 7-step guide for how to write faster Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Is writing burdensome to you? Consider whether you might be taking on more responsibility than you need to… My son, who is studying to become an opera singer, must display a panoply of skills: Singing without a microphone. Learning a smattering of six different languages.
What a circus act can teach you about writing… Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes People often suggest to me that they’ll be wasting time if they allow themselves to write without editing while they go. Here’s why I disagree… Whenever I talk about the crappy first draft or writing first and editing later some people always object. Last week, when I ran
Feel like you’re wasting time with your crappy first draft? Here’s how to find out… Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes Do you need to learn how to write a thesis? Here’s some advice from someone who’s just finished the job… I can’t begin to calculate how many words I’ve written in my life. If forced to give a total, I’d say well over a
Lessons from writing a thesis Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes If you’ve ever vowed to stop editing while you write, here’s a tool that will really make you want to keep that promise. Watch the video to see how writers waste time, editing while they write… Do you have difficulty writing your crappy first
How to see yourself in a writing mirror Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes You may hate technology or love it but at least be aware of how the Internet is improving writing… I graduated from high school 40 years ago this June. (Yikes! Time doesn’t just fly. It’s rocket-propelled.) Back in this mesolithic era, teachers moaned about…
How the Internet is improving writing Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes In the 25 years I spent as a wage slave (an employee, rather than a contractor) I had exactly ONE good supervisor. But I learned plenty about how to write for a bad boss…. I was standing in the middle of the newsroom — an open-area office
How to write for a bad, hard-to-please boss Read More »
Reading time: Just over 5 minutes You have a book in you. I know you do! Here’s how to get it out of your head and down on paper. Here’s how to write your book… There are many ways to do anything and I don’t delude myself that I offer
How to write your book Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Hands up if you spend too much time on your email. This pseudo-work is not helping you and may be exactly what’s preventing you from achieving your writing goals… Have you ever emailed me? If so, you likely received a reply in less than
How to stop using email to procrastinate Read More »