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At this time of year, people make resolutions. What about resolutions for your writing life? Writing Tip for Today: What are some ways to build good writing habits? Keep ‘Em Separated The most basic suggestion I give writers is to draft with wild abandon, and later on, edit with precise determination. New writers often get […]
You’ll be happy to know that Miss Crankypants has discovered the REAL secret of writing. Oh sure, you gotta practice, write 10,000 hours’ worth, yada, yada. But to be truly anointed as a great writer, you need one thing: Enough of a preferred beverage to float your teeth.For many writers, this beverage would be coffee. French […]
I follow Dani Shapiro’s blog, Moments of Being, and each time she posts, it’s like saving the best chocolate for last. Today she reminds me that by writing in the dark I am creating a place for myself in the world. Dani is such an exquisite writer. Her words always stay with me, permeating my writing […]
As you wind down from a writing conference, your life comes rushing back at you, your writing goals may have changed and in general you may be feeling unsure about what to do next. Platform building, new info about e-books and tons of other great ideas compete for head space.Writing Tip for Today: If you’ve made […]
Today feels like a fresh start to me. I’m rested up, raring to get things done. Writers chase this state as if it was a magic potion to be found only after several close calls. What are the advantages or disadvantages of being in the “zone?” Writing Tip for Today: When the Muse knocks on […]
Some days you can’t wait to get at the keyboard. Maybe you’re like my friend Ronie Kendig, who stayed up way too late because a terrific idea appeared just before midnight. But what about the times when writing is the last thing you want to face? Times when getting even a paragraph down takes herculean […]
Back to school week is always exhausting as well as exciting for me. I have 3 groups of wonderful students who are eager to put their writing dreams on paper. When I start with a new class, I feel as if I get a bonus. In reviewing basic writing principles, I get a review too. […]
If you have been sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for the prize winner of the GreHoWorCoCha contest, I sincerely apologize for being late. The start of a new term is always rather hectic. Not to mention the fact that my impartial 3rd party judge (who judged the contest “blind,” that is, without […]
Buzz. A student from novel writing class told me last night that she cringes when she hears buzz words such as: network or platform. She’d probably blanch at buzz too. It’s all well and good to philosophize about wanting to be above all that. And I agree with a similar comment, that writers ought to […]
After the blog tour–a three day romp through tall mountaintops and deep valleys, I am convinced of one thing: at the end of the sometimes exhausting stuff writers must do, we write. Today I’m facing down my novel-in-progress. Every single time I jump in the pool, I get caught up in the characters and the […]