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 For some people perfectionism and writing go together like salt and pepper or a hammer and nails— you don’t have one without the other. Here’s some advice on how to fix that…. I injured my arm while making Hollandaise sauce, about six weeks ago. It took me a while […]
How to deal with perfectionism and writing Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Over the last two weeks, I’ve written about why and how to paraphrase. If the thought of this still makes you nervous, here’s a guide to a faster, better approval process from the people you’ve interviewed… Many corporate communicators go crazy with what’s known, euphemistically, as the “approval process.” Usually, a
My ninja secrets to a faster, better approval process Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Last week I wrote about the “why” of paraphrasing. Today, I explain how to paraphrase…. Before you read today’s post, decide who you are: Are you a university student, writing a thesis or essay? If so, refer to part 1. Are you a corporate communicator or freelance writer? If so,
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Paraphrasing isn’t a job just for academics. It’s something that all writers need to learn how to do… When I was in high school and university, I hated writing. I adored editing, mind you, but I found the pain of extracting that first draft torturous. The most painful part?
Why you should paraphrase more Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Have you ever fretted about how to improve your writing? It might not be as expensive as you fear… We had a plethora of reasons for rebuilding our house four years ago. It had a cracked foundation that made it unsafe in the earthquake zone in which we live. We
What a broken washing machine can teach you about writing Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Have you ever struggled with how to make writing easier? Here are some tips I’ve picked up as I’ve aged… I have a weird psychological quirk. Significant birthdays — ones ending in 0 — never upset me. Instead, I get freaked out by ones ending in seven. Somehow, the oddness
5 life lessons for your younger writer Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Does writing scare you? Maybe the problem is you don’t have a system for writing. I faced the same challenge with Hollandaise sauce, recently…. Cooking doesn’t usually scare me. I’ve made soufflé, mousse, bread without a machine and turkey dinner for 22 without turning a hair grey. But for some reason,
How making Hollandaise is like writing Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Would you like to banish your writer’s block? Here is an easy-to-implement suggestion that’s guaranteed to work… Clients of mine are sometimes surprised when I suggest that they write for only five minutes a day. “That sounds crazy, embarrassing,” they tell me. “What possible benefit could I get from that?”
The magic of 5 minutes Read More »
Reading time: Just over 2 minutes The Hemingway App promises to make your writing bold and clear. How does it do that? Most writers today strive to avoid the passive voice. Do you know what I mean by passive? Don’t be too quick to say yes! It may be easy to identify the blatantly obvious
Come to Papa with the Hemingway app Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Please don’t think me a zealot but today I’m going to tell you why writers should meditate… You may wonder why, shortly after waking up every morning, I head upstairs to my office and lie down on the floor and cover myself with a blanket. You’d think, after seven hours of sleep, I wouldn’t
Why I’m meditating again Read More »
