[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Look, I get it — you’re a creative person. You’re a writer, for Pete’s sake! You want to tell stories and birth characters and create entire worlds. Maybe you outright begrudge the other things that modern writers “have to” do: building a website, engaging in social media, making book covers,…
Tag: writing terms
30-Day Writing Challenge Can Change Your Life — Quick Writing Tip
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] I don’t often proclaim my affections in public, but … I love NaNoWriMo! (“National Novel Writing Month,” if we’re being formal.) There. I’ve said it. In case you’re not familiar with this beauty, NaNoWriMo invites you to spend the month of November writing the first draft of your novel. In…
Build a ‘Cone of Silence’ to Boost Writing Productivity — Quick Writing Tip
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Writer’s have faced a myriad of distractions for centuries, but the modern breed is arguably more besieged by distractions than any of our predecessors. From televisions to screaming children to cell phones to the lure of the Internet on our laptops, the next writing roadblock is never more than a…
Nuke Writing Obstacles to Reach Your Dreams — Quick Writing Tip
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] No matter what your goals are in life, you’re going to encounter obstacles. If you want to become a doctor, for instance, your list of hurdles might include: Pulling good grades in high school Nailing the SAT Getting into a good college Financing college Getting good grades in college Nailing…
How Much Should You Write Every Day?
When the word gods bestowed upon a young Enheduanna the gift of cuneiform, they said unto her, “Thou shalt write for a minimum of three hours and produce at least 1253 words every day.” That’s why aspiring authors everywhere still use those numbers as a benchmark and strive to boost their word counts and butt-in-chair time…
Trust Your Intuition to Avoid Paralysis by Analysis — Quick Writing Tip
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] A lot of what passes for writing advice, and much of what I’ve written in this series, falls squarely into the category of planning. And that’s for good reason. You won’t get very far in life or in your writing career without a plan of some sort. And, unless your…
Optimize to Make the Best Techniques Better — Quick Writing Tip
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] There is probably at least one area in life where you would consider yourself an expert. For example, hopefully, you see yourself as an expert in some aspect of your chosen career field. Maybe you’re really good at computer programming or project management or driving a truck. Or maybe it’s…
Write Something Insanely Bad to Overcome Perfectionism — Quick Writing Tip
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] We all want to be the best we can be. I mean, no one sets out to mediocre, right? But that drive to be the best can lead us down the rabbit hole of perfectionism. Never Good Enough … for You Have you ever fiddled around with the ordering of…
Randomize Writing Priorities for Renewed Enthusiasm — Quick Writing Tip
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Having a “To-Do” list is great and can be a boon to productivity if you nurture it. You have to prioritize, and then re-prioritize daily. You have to be ruthless in saying “No” to requests that have no business on your plate and in pruning your list when a task…
Avoid Context Switching to Boost Writing Productivity — Quick Writing Tip
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] How many email messages to you receive in a day? Some estimates put the average number of emails at around 140 per day, per person. Some of those you can delete without ever opening, some of them you never open and just leave in your inbox (though you shouldn’t), some…
