10 Worst Writing Mistakes I’ve Made

There’s no such thing as failure. Mistakes happen in your life to bring into focus more clearly who you really are. —Oprah Winfrey Since college, I’ve been both a fiction and a non-fiction writer, and I’ve had two main goals. I would go beyond the poetry and short stories I was writing, and I’d also … Read more

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

Understand active and passive verbs once and for all

You’ve heard the advice: passive verbs are a big no-no and active verbs are essential to good writing. But do you know the difference? Can you spot active and passive verbs in your own writing? Do you know when passive verbs should be used? Knowing active verbs are usually better than passive verbs is one … 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 focus on writing: 5 tips that work

“The thing all writers do best is find ways to avoid writing.” —Alan Dean Foster If you’re like most writers, staying focused isn’t your strong point. You start the novel, and you lose momentum. You want to get back to it, but you don’t. You hit a rough patch with your blog, and you get … Read more