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 While I read at least 52 books every year, I also make time to read The New Yorker magazine (and it’s no small task!) Read on to learn why… I was in my early 20s when I saw the New Yorker for the first time. Initially, I was nonplussed. It was dull […]
Why I read the New Yorker Read More »
Word count: 705 words Reading time: About 3 minutes A current bout of vertigo has taught me to ask for help when I need it. Does your writing ever make you dizzy? So there I was, walking down a relatively quiet commercial street early one Saturday morning — aiming to meet a friend for breakfast —
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Word count: 738 words Reading time: About 3 minutes I provide the next issue of my “Please edit” feature, in which I give advice and counsel for a short piece YOU have written…. Today is the next installment in my regular “Please edit” feature. Once a month, I invite you to send me a piece of
Why you should use more bridges in your writing Read More »
Word count: 761 words Reading time: About 3 minutes Never underestimate the importance of having writing fun -– especially if you’re trying to make a living at it! Here are 10 ways to up the fun factor: Do you ever find writing is just plain tedious? Have you lost the joy of the endeavor? Does
10 ways to have more writing fun Read More »
Word count: 672 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Should you consider getting some continuing education for your writing? I give five tips to help you figure out when/why to do it…. Back when I was 21 years old, with a brand new honours degree in political science tucked under my arm, I thought I
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Word count: 672 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes What does a music producer know about writing? You might be surprised by the excellent advice he can offer to writers looking for the right door…. If parenting infants is like completing a triathlon without a wink of sleep for, oh, say, six months, then
How to find the right door to knock on Read More »
Word count: 592 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes Do you make a commitment to write, and then fail to live up to it? Here are five ways to stop procrastinating…. A few weeks ago, my husband made a date for us. He agreed that we’d both meet some friends at a nearby mountain, snowshoe
5 ways to stop procrastinating about your writing Read More »
Word count: 598 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes Do you use readability statistics to help improve your writing? If not, learn how to use them as quickly as possible! Here’s the reason why… I understand that not everyone likes readability statistics. These handy-dandy tools, that measure the readability of your writing (by calculating sentence
How to improve your readability — without spending a dime Read More »
Word count: 709 words Reading time: About 3 minutes Here is another installment in my series of interviews with successful writers, today focusing on Jill Konrath. I discovered sales trainer Jill Konrath on the Internet. I loved her blog, her first book, Selling to Big Companies, and her green jacket. If I ran a big company,
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Word count: 647 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes Do you have enough time for reading? Here are five ways to ensure that you do…. “I love your idea of reading 52 books a year,” said a colleague last week. But the modifier “theoretically” hung in the air. “How do you ever manage it?” she
5 ways to boost your reading time Read More »
