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: 725 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes While writing always involves putting words on paper, speech writing requires a few rather specialized strategies. Read on to learn more… I lead workshops and give speeches regularly but haven’t made them a core part of my business because I have three school-age children. (But, hey, […]
Stand and deliver: The art of speech writing Read More »
Word count: 753 Reading time: About 3 minutes Have you ever thought of “batching” your work? This is an exceptionally important tool for writers, students and anyone who works in the creative arts…. There’s a funny ad on TV right now about a guy named Dave. A red-headed man with a beard, he wanders into
How Dave can teach you the value of batching Read More »
Word count: 622 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes I love new year’s resolutions but I make them very carefully. Read on for some valuable advice…. Do you make new year’s resolutions? The 13 most popular resolutions in the U.S. don’t mention writing but my bet is you’ve probably included writing on your list. Good idea.
How to turn your writing resolutions in to a plan Read More »
Word count: 225 words + video Reading/watching time: Just over 3 minutes Here is a bonus column with some excellent writing advice from TV legend Stephen J. Cannell…. I hadn’t intended to send out a column this week. Normally, I take a week’s holiday between Christmas and New Year. But last week I stumbled across a
Advice for aspiring writers from Stephen J. Cannell Read More »
Word count: 575 words Reading time: Just over 2 minutes Looking for a gift? Wanting some interesting reading for yourself over the holidays? Here are 21 books for you to consider…. I made it, just in time! Last week I finally achieved my annual goal of reading 52 books this year. I gave you a
Recommended books: Christmas 2011 Read More »
Word count: 719 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do you recite your writing ALOUD before submitting it? You should! Read on to learn why…. I grew up in a family that didn’t eat turkey for Christmas every year. My favourite holiday entrée? Fresh crab! We never wrapped gifts properly — in fact, we
Why you should be reading ALOUD Read More »
Word count: 530 words Reading time: Just over 2 minutes Do you think that you must brush your teeth for 30 minutes or it’s not worth spending any time with a toothbrush? Of course not. Don’t think that about writing, either! When I was 11 years old, I went to the dentist and learned I
What’s your toothbrush level of writing? Read More »
Word count: 754 words Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you appreciate the value of a substitute or proxy? Sometimes, “replacements” can come in very handy for writers…. I am a perfectionist. This may sound like A Very Good Thing. After all, who wouldn’t want to be perfect, flawless or ideal? But, in fact, it’s
How a proxy can help your writing Read More »
Word count: 730 words Reading time: About 2.75 minutes Do you have good luck when you shop? When you write? While luck is marvellous, it’s not something you should count on any more than you’d expect to be able to find a really cheap tuxedo. Read on to learn why…. My 17-year-old son is 6
Writing lessons from a cheap tuxedo Read More »
Word count: 750 Reading time: 3 minutes Many of the writers I know find math intimidating. I think it is, too. But that doesn’t stop me from using it! I passed math 11 only by promising to never, ever, take math again. At the time, I thought it was a trick question! After seeing two
Why you should use a writing calculator Read More »
