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 If you were give five extra minutes, what would you do with them? Say, could you spend them writing? Sometimes I catch myself wasting time, especially when I’m doing something I don’t like (such as working on my accounts for my bookkeeper. Yuck!) If you’re the kind of person who […]
9 productive ways to spend 5 minutes instead of checking your email (again) Read More »
Reading time: About 2.5 minutes Are you a writer who wishes you were more creative? Maybe you’re wishing for the wrong thing…. People often have the totally wrong idea that they need to have been born creative in order to write. While being born certain ways can help your writing a lot — being born
Why you shouldn’t fret about the creativity thing… Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes We’re all short of time, so how on earth can we find the time to write? Here are some ideas… Last week I wrote about wasting time. Today, I write about finding it. While it’s certain that most of us have mind-manglingly busy lives, it’s also true that we can
7 ways to find time to write Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes It’s highly likely that you mismanage your time. We all do! But writing time is another matter entirely… I protect my writing time the way a mother bear guards her cubs. I write first thing in the morning and I refuse to check my email (or Facebook or Twitter or
5 ways you probably mismanage your time Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Tempting as it is to obsess on particulars, it’s always better to play the long game when writing… Here’s a problem facing most writers: We want our writing to be better, so we turn our laser-like gaze on what we are writing, the product. In fact, what we really
Why you should play the long game when writing Read More »
Reading time: About 2.5 minutes Most writers aren’t terribly sporty but did you know you can help your writing by talking like an athlete? I’ve written before about how we writers seem addicted to self-sabotage by trash-talking to ourselves. I really don’t know how to write… My boss is going to hate this… Readers are
How to help your writing by talking like an athlete Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes What do you do in December? Is it a party month for you? Or, like me, do you enjoy the chance to reflect and plan…. My worst December memory? Actually, I have two. 1) My parents owned a struggling weekly newspaper and one Christmas — the only time of
What are you doing with the rest of the year? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Have you ever considered how much influence doubt may have on your writing? It could be one of your secret enemies — although, in truth, it’s relatively easy to turn it into a friend. I have a new companion. Or, at least, a new recognition of a longtime acquaintance. Its
How to befriend doubt Read More »
Looking for some book suggestions in time for Christmas? Here’s my roundup based on my reading so far this year. My habit is to post for you the names of all the books I’ve read, twice a year. Last June, I told you about the 27 titles I’d read by that point. Here is a
Recommended books: Christmas 2013 Read More »
Reading time: About 2.5 minutes Non-fiction writers are usually allergic to making stuff up. But, ironically, many of us struggle with making quotes more believable. Here are some tips…. Have you ever had to “make up” quotes for your boss? This is not such an unusual thing in the world of corporate communications. Bosses are
7 tips for making quotes more believable in your writing Read More »
