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 Do you say negative things to yourself when you’re writing? If so, perhaps it’s time you went looking for a shoulder angel…. I was having coffee with a friend of mine recently and she started telling me about the “voices” inside her head. As […]
Why you should replace your shoulder devil with an angel Read More »
Reading time: About 2.5 minutes How can you write if you’re easily distracted by email? Even more challenging, how can you write in a coffee shop if you don’t have a laptop? My suggestion? Try the Neo Alphasmart…. I’m embarrassed to admit that my handwriting is so bad (and so
How the Neo Alphasmart helps you write for 700 hours on three AA batteries Read More »
Word count: 783 words Reading time: About 3 minutes If you’re looking for holiday reading, here is part one of my annual book list! I always set myself an annual target of reading at least 52 books and when I hit my total in 2010 (last November) I published a summary.
Recommended books: Summer 2011 Read More »
Word count: 750 words Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you take your writing too seriously? Your writing can be serious — but you don’t have to be! Lighten up and throw a few beach balls at your readers! My 17-year-old son (he’s the person who wrote the music for my Click Flick)
Are you giving your readers enough beach balls? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you see interviewing as a fact-gathering mission? If so, you are missing the opportunity for some fabulous quotes that will make your writing more interesting…. I like to play games with clients. I don’t mean anything nasty by this! Quite the opposite: I play games because it
Are you asking the right questions? Read More »
Word count: 550 words Reading time: About 2 minutes Even simple words, such as “exit” can convey a freight of meanings. Always ensure you’re using exactly the right words.… When I took my first ever ride on the Canada Line — Vancouver’s newish subway from downtown to the airport —
Are you finding exactly the right words? Read More »
Word count: 606 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes Some events attract immediate notoriety. Does that mean you should offer your opinion on them? No! (Bloggers take note!)…. On the night of Vancouver’s Stanley Cup riot I was reading a book. The hockey fans in the household — my husband and
Why I won’t give you my opinion of the Stanley Cup riot Read More »
Word count: 577 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes Is your writing SPECIFIC enough? Never underestimate the value of being particular and concrete, as Jonah Lehrer explains…. I’m not usually thrilled by the prospect of meeting famous writers. Generally, their work excites me more than their persons, so I seldom attend “writer’s
Putting a $ figure to stories with Jonah Lehrer Read More »
Word count: 723 words Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you manage your writing time — or does it manage you? Here are five techniques I use to ensure that I get more writing done…. When my triplets — now strapping 17 year olds — were babies, I designed feeding charts
How to get more writing done Read More »
Word count: 685 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do deadlines make you nervous? Instead of dreading them, I say you should welcome them with open arms. Deadlines don’t have to destroy your day.Instead, they can make you MORE productive…. More than 30 years ago, when I was completing my undergraduate
How to demolish your deadlines Read More »
