Let me ask you a question: If I ask you to identify your writing weaknesses for me, how does that make you feel about your writing right now? If you’re in one of those rarefied states of supreme satisfaction, I congratulate you. But after two decades of pursuing my own writing and hearing from countless […]
June 24, 2024 by 7 Comments PodcastJuggling Life and Writing: 9 Tips for Maintaining Creative Focus
Balancing the pursuit of creative writing with the demands of daily life is a nuanced challenge. Juggling life and writing isn’t easy without strategies that can help us maintain creative focus amid life’s myriad distractions. Whether you’re dealing with the pressures of work, familial responsibilities, or the never-ending lure of digital devices, writers everywhere face […]
November 27, 2023 by 38 Comments Podcast14 Do’s and Don’ts of Time Management for Writers (from a Recovering Over-Achiever)
For many of us, writing is one of the most important things in our lives. And yet, it can be all too easy to let that “most important thing” end up at the bottom of our to-do list. If yet another day has passed in which you haven’t been able to write—or a day in […]
January 30, 2023 by 63 Comments Podcast5 Tips for How to Return to Writing After a Long Break
Making a return to writing after a long time away can feel overwhelming or even bewildering. Depending on the reasons for your break, you may be confronting a wide array of emotions—everything from anticipation and excitement to trepidation and confusion. If you find yourself worried or uncertain about how to proceed, the first step is […]
April 25, 2022 by 59 Comments PodcastDo You Have to Write Every Day? 10 Pros and Cons
Should writers make it a habit to write every day? Is that the secret to success? Is that what distinguishes “real” writers? I used to think so. Often, when someone would ask me for my single recommendation for other writers, my go-to response was to reiterate some form of the advice from Peter de Vries […]
June 8, 2020 by 71 Comments Writer's Help6 Writing Excuses Busted (Or How an 11-Year-Old Published Her First Novel)
Writing excuses are easy to come up with. Easy to justify. But to publish, you’ll need to learn how to avoid using at least six of them—maybe more. My goal is to help you avoid using these six writing excuses by showing you how I overcame them to publish my first novel shortly after my […]
January 21, 2019 by 78 Comments Writing LifeHow to Create the Perfect Writing Process for You
Remember the good ol’ days when your idea of a “writing process” was as simple as 1, 2, 3? 1. Sit down. 2. Put your hands to the keyboard. 3. Write. For most writers, that quaint little take on the writing process died on the day they stalled out on #2, with hands poised receptively […]
June 19, 2017 by 33 Comments Writing LifeLearn How to Make the Most of the 5 Stages of the Writing Process
Finding success as an author largely depends on how effective your actual writing process is. The key to not just getting words on paper, but to getting good words on paper is finding a daily system that invites you to enjoy your work, optimizes your creativity, and provides the support of feasible daily habits. The writing […]
September 17, 2014 by 28 Comments How to Become an AuthorThe Amazing (and Simple) 3-Step Plan for Learning How to Write
This week’s video answers a question I’ve been getting from multiple sources: about how yours truly went about learning to write. Video Transcript: Lately, I’ve received a lot of emails asking the question, “How did I learn to write?” So today, I’m going to do my best to answer that. But first I’d like to […]
November 29, 2013 by 15 Comments Writing LifeHow Carving Teeth Helped Me Become a Better Writer
I know what you’re thinking: How can carving teeth have anything to do with helping me become a better a writer? As an integral part of my curriculum as a first year student in dental school, I was required to gain fundamental knowledge of the basic dental anatomy through the study of what is called […]
