Writing
How Writing Is Like an Artist’s Palette
Writing is like an artist’s palette; only instead of mixing paint, we blend words. A blank page or screen can be as intimidating to a writer as a bare canvas. Don’t think of it as something sacred. A writer cannot afford the luxury of that way of thinking because it keeps him stuck. He fears…
Read More ...How to Overcome Comparing Ourselves to Other Writers and Trust Our Unique Voice
My name is Jef … and I am a perfectionist. I have been seriously and consistently writing since September of 2002, and yet I’ve only submitted my work to be published twice. Why? Because I tell myself I can make it better—and then I’ll submit my work. The truth is that I fear I’m a…
Read More ...How Bad Ideas Create Good Stories
Sometimes writing can be like dating: the grass always seems to be greener at another table with a fatter wallet or bigger boobage. One of the biggest fears at the beginning of a writing project is whether or not a story idea is any good. Sure, the flash of inspiration you experienced last night while…
Read More ...How to Write When You Have No Ideas
Writing is a bit like meditation in that we often make it harder than it needs to be. We sit down to write and expect magic to immediately happen in the way we often expect to turn our minds off when we try to clear them. To add insult to injury, the harder we try…
Read More ...How to Make Time for Writing for Busy People
Over the past week, several writer friends have complained about how they struggle to make time to write. “What’s the problem?” I asked. “I don’t have time,” Tom whined. “I am so busy!” Grabbing handfuls of his hair in each fist, he asked, “How will I ever finish my literary novel about an illiterate librarian…
Read More ...Write Is a Verb, People
Write is a verb. Writer and writing are nouns. To be a writer or produce writing, you have to write. There’s no other way to succeed in putting words on a page unless you dictate your ideas or story to someone, which makes you a dictator and might lead some people to believe…
Read More ...To Blog, or Not to Blog, That Is the Question for Writers
At some point, every writer asks himself whether the time has come to create a website and start to <insert drum roll> blog. It’s a difficult question—not just because the time needed to blog could be spent on a writer’s chosen writing project—but because once started, a writer must continue to do so until he…
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