Reading time: Just over 3 minutes Do you regularly “run out” of time? Psychologist Gay Hendricks has some intriguing ideas that can help writers find more time to write. How do you visualize time? Perhaps you see it as a bucket full of water, being drained? Or maybe you imagine it as a heat map […]
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Reading time: Less than 3 minutes When you take a vacation should you also take time off from writing? Here’s a quick guide to handling holiday writing… Even if I didn’t have a calendar and was oblivious to the days getting longer and the temperatures becoming warmer, I would still know vacation time is approaching.
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Reading time: Just over 3 minutes If you want to get better at writing you probably think diligent work is the key. Here’s why writers should reflect and plan, instead…. Have you ever used an expression like, “experience is the very best teacher,” or “I learned everything I know from the school of hard knocks?”
Is lack of reflection sabotaging your writing? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 2 minutes If the recent passage of Jan. 1 has you feeling bad for not having made some writing-related new year’s resolutions, remember this: plans for writers are a far better idea… I no longer believe in new year’s resolutions. This discovery came over me in 2013 and, ever since, I’ve
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute When you’re stressed or overwhelmed or disorganized — be smart and concentrate on one action: simply taking one step forward… I am almost neurotically well organized. But some days my organization doesn’t lead to my getting very much done. I get distracted by email. A client calls with a major
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This post first appeared on Aug. 17, 2010. Reading time: About 3 minutes It’s summer — and what could be better than paddling a canoe? My own paddling also made me reflect on some important rules about writing… Our summer was late getting started in Vancouver this year but it’s been flawless. Maybe even a
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute Proofreading seems like an unnecessary expense, until you have a large, embarrassing typo… I bear no ill-will towards the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. The conductor, whom I’ve run into at my dry cleaning establishment, is a charming man and the orchestra is highly skilled. But I bet eyes are rolling (or perhaps
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Reading time: Less than 2 minutes How much time do you spend preparing for what can go wrong? If you’re ready to be prepared you can save yourself both embarrassment and some bad decisions… Fallout from the May 6/15 Alberta election has made me recall some of the mistakes I’ve made in my own professional
Why you need to be prepared for anything… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss an article on writing and the subconscious mind by Charlotte Seager… I’ve never believed in outlining. Even in high school, when my teachers
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Reading time: Less than 2 minutes Did you develop a list of new year’s resolutions yesterday? Not me! I’m sticking with rituals for 2015. Welcome to 2015. If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you may remember that I’ve given up on the idea of new year’s resolutions. But I welcome rituals. Here, then,
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