A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper. —E.B. White The “best time for writing” has been debated over and over. Morning. Afternoon. Peak time. Off-peak time. After a workout. In the shower. While walking and recording. Some claim with 100% certainty—backed by “scientific” … Read more
Writer’s block is a symptom, not an ailment you have no control over. Still, it’s hard to know why it happens and harder still to get past it. You might be tired. Sick. Worried. Stressed. Too much on your mind. Too many chores undone. Not enough time to relax and generate ideas. No time spent … Read more
How’s your writing going? Are you reaching your goals? Rolling around in the guilt and regret much? My answers: mediocre, no, and no. What? Not regretting that you didn’t do this and didn’t complete that? Nope, I’m not regretting anything. Here’s why: Regretting the past steals time from the present and future. Plus, I had … Read more
Writers need websites, end of story. No matter what kind of writer you are—a novelist, a non-fiction book writer, a freelance writer, or even a brand-new writer without a clue—you need a website. Why? Before I get into the why, let me discuss the what. Websites generally fall into two categories A static website is … Read more
You write the way you write. Right? It’s a part of you and who you are. It’s how you express yourself. It comes from somewhere deep inside, almost as if by magic, and you don’t have a lot of control over that process. You write the way you’ve always written or how you were taught. … Read more
Do you set goals for your writing? How’s that working out for you? Here’s what I’ve learned: If my goals are vague, results are vague (or I never reach them). Clear goals = clear results. Simple as that. Maybe you know a little about setting objectives and goals. You might have heard of SMART. Goals … Read more
Everything you write is your opinion. That includes “facts” that most people consider “truths”: birds fly, day turns to night, the earth is round. On the opposite end of the spectrum are viewpoints not usually regarded as truth or that aren’t provable: aliens are watching us, vampires are real, just think of money and you’ll … Read more
Have you ever had a writer or a professor tell you to “keep on writing” if you want to become a better writer? “Write a lot” or “write more” is another way to say it. Well-known, successful writers like Stephen King are often quoted as saying exactly that. And it’s frustrating. How can you become … Read more
“If I just had a little excitement in my life—if you know what I mean—I’d get some inspiration,” said Anna. I stared at my wine and swirled it around the bottom of my glass. I played dumb. “No, I don’t know what you mean. What exactly do you mean by excitement? Jumping off skyscrapers with … Read more
Once upon a time, I was an assistant chef. I worked at a small but busy restaurant with the head chef, a few helpers, dishwashers, and about a dozen servers. For breaks and meals, everyone kicked back in a little storage room just off the kitchen. A big table and folding chairs made it our … Read more