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 It took a less than perfect vacation to remind me of the value of stories…. As vacations go, it was more like a prison sentence. Time: seven days. My husband Eric and I had long planned an October trip to Washington, DC. He’d never […]
What I learned from my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad vacation Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes It’s no trying to overcome fear of writing. Trust me. I’ve dealt with a bellyful of fear in my lifetime… Here’s the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done: When I was about 25, I went on a spur-of-the-moment hiking trip with an athletic friend who
How to overcome fear of writing Read More »
Reading time: 2 and a half minutes Is perfectionism spoiling your writing? Here’s what you can tell yourself to deal with that problem… I’ve made many mistakes in my life. One of the most embarrassing ones relates to my brief but exciting life as a newspaper books editor in 1984.
It’s a great day to make mistakes Read More »
Word count: 757 words Reading time: About 3 minutes Is there anyone — apart from school students — who doesn’t enjoy taking an easy, self-revealing test? Today, I’m giving you the chance to take a quick quiz for writers. Sharpen your pencils! If you want to be a better writer,
Test: are you a born editor or a born writer? Read More »
Word count: 626 words Reading time: About 2 and a half minutes Do you avoid your work because you fear a link between negative emotions and writing? If so, you’re likely losing the chance to achieve something really meaningful. I recently spent five days camping in the San Juan Islands
How to weather the rain in your writing life Read More »
Word count: 868 words Reading time: About 3 minutes Does the idea of writing a book seem impossibly delicious and ridiculously improbable? I’m here to tell you, you can do it! You can learn how to write a book, if you do it with me. When I first dreamed of
How to write a book Read More »
Word count: 703 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes We all need friends. Writers, perhaps, need them more than most. Read on to learn how you can join my writing community, at no charge… I’m lucky enough to have a group of bright and vigorous writing companions who are
Please join my writing community…by commenting Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes It’s always hard to find enough time for all the things we want to do. But somehow it’s extra-difficult to find writing time. What, then, is the best time to write? I was born a night owl. I used to think 2 am was the
When is the best time to write? Read More »
Word count: 645 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes Have you ever been asked to give a speech at a wedding? This post on how to write a wedding speech will give you a better idea about how to approach the task… My husband belongs to a family that has
How to write a wedding speech Read More »
Word count: 728 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Succeeding at something is not just because of what you do — it also stems from what you DON’T do. Here are nine ideas you need to give up to become a better writer… This is a short list of
9 ideas you need to give up to become a better writer Read More »
