The best time to write

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

20 Productivity Tips for Writer’s Block

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 to reach your writing goals in 2015

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

How to set writing goals

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

10 ways a lousy sex life is great for your writing life

“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

The only way to get over fear

What are you afraid of? If you’re like most people, you’re afraid of plenty. Maybe you’re not afraid of flying, crowds, small rooms, or spiders. But other stuff scares the crap out of you. Can you get up on the roof of a house and spend a few hours patching it? Dig up an enormous … Read more

Banish “I can’t” from your vocabulary

If I made a list of all the people I’ve known who say I “can’t” on a regular basis, it would be a long, dreary list indeed. Why can’t you? Or is it more like I don’t want to? Maybe it’s I’m afraid to or I’m afraid someone will judge me. Or I’m afraid I … Read more