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.
Word count: 702 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes I had a pro come to help me clean my office. The cost? Minimal. The benefits? Extraordinary. I’ve never been a hoarder except when it comes to my office. You know what a hoarder is, right? They are displayed in all […]
What to do when you need professional help Read More »
Word count: 648 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes It’s interesting what people from different creative arts can teach each other. Here is a lesson painter Mark Rothko recently emphasized for me. Six days ago, the only thing I knew about painter Mark Rothko, was that he was an abstract
The Mark Rothko method of writing Read More »
Word count: 758 words Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you think being a multi-tasker is a good thing? I’m not sure it’s even a possible thing… Back when my husband was young enough to wear short pants, his mother used to do the family ironing while talking to her mother-in-law,
Do you think you’re a multi-tasker? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes I’m a writer who’s more than ready to sing a battle hymn –- just not one like bestselling author Amy Chua. Much in the news in recent months, the book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, irritated me. I’d read the comments in the New York Times, the Guardian, and
Trade the tiger mother for the rooster writer Read More »
Word count: 654 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes Do you tend to criticize yourself while you write? This self-sabotaging behaviour can spell the beginning of writer’s block. Here’s how to nip it in the bud. One of my 17-year-old daughters sometimes slaps the side of her own head and says,
5 ways to get your inner critic to shut up Read More »
Word count: 747 words Reading time: About 3 minutes Have you ever lost writing? I have and it’s painful! Let me give you some tips for recovering from the experience…. I once had an editor who didn’t like me very much. It wasn’t entirely his fault. He hadn’t hired me
How to recover from lost writing Read More »
Word count: 694 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes Are you one my subscribers who thinks I’m crazy to counsel AGAINST outlining? Read on to learn why I do this…. When I was a sullen high school student, many of my teachers demanded that we submit outlines with every essay. We
Five reasons why you shouldn’t outline Read More »
Reading time: About 2.5 minutes According to St. Augustine, the world is a book — and those who don’t travel read only one page. My family took his advice to heart this summer and, funnily enough, I like to relate our trip to the act of writing. If you want
How to travel to Europe (or write a book) without breaking the bank Read More »
Word count: 752 words Reading time: About 3 minutes Are you generally able to write easily and freely? If not, you might want to consider working to develop “flow”…. I first heard about Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi about 15 years ago. The Hungarian psychology professor — now at Claremont, formerly at University
How to bring “flow” to your writing Read More »
Word count: 585 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes Do you ever struggle with finding new topics for your writing? If that describes you, consider these tips on how to get ideas for what to write about: “Writing is easy,” said Gene Fowler. “All you do is stare at a blank
7 rousing ways to get ideas for what to write about Read More »
