Outlines used in writing are similar to scaffolding that’s used in construction. Despite what you may believe (or have been told), there is really nothing “magical” about writing. It’s a skill that can be taught. I would say it’s more “craft” than “art” … although writing that’s done well does fall under the category of…
Research is more important to your success than you may realize. Research is something most of us probably started doing when we were still in elementary school. I know my own experience with it started when I was in 5th grade and needed to write a report on Mexico. We were told it was OK to…
The subtitle of Poemcrazy (“Freeing Your Life with Words”) is an excellent way to describe the main message in these pages. Fun. Random. Surprising. Inspirational. These are just a few of the words I’d use if I had to describe this book to someone. Less than a year after the paperback edition of Poemcrazy was published (in…
Journaling can improve your writing … but it does SO MUCH more than that! The practice of writing down your thoughts in a journal each day – physically, not digitally – is a very powerful thing. For one, it improves your writing. Not only does it get you into the habit of transferring your thoughts…
Working with clay can be kind of messy … but writing can be messy, too. Creating a bowl on a potter’s wheel or a piece of sculpture with modeling clay is very different from combining groups of words into sentences that (eventually) form a story or an article. But there are a lot of similarities,…
This book is a true classic — a resource many writers probably already own. I was introduced to this book during my first semester of junior college. It was one of our required textbooks for English 1A. Because of how useful it was, The Elements of Style was one of the few books I didn’t…
This quote from Albert Camus has been a favorite of mine since I was in my early teens. “In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” – Albert Camus I was only 13 or 14 when this quote of Albert Camus’s became one that I often repeated…
Writing articles can quickly establish you as an expert in your industry. Once upon a time, the word “articles” made people think of either newspapers or magazines. And the articles were always written by journalists. Fast forward several decades (actually, centuries, since the first newspapers appeared in Europe during the 16th century), and articles are…
Writing letters is just one of MANY ways to stay in touch! I got in the habit of writing letters when I was young. I’m not sure how old I was when my mom started sitting us down within a week or two after Christmas, telling us we needed to send thank-you cards to everyone…
This method helps you see patterns, plan projects, and figure out priorities. It was early 1988 when I first learned about “clustering” – a method that (among other things) helps writers overcome writer’s block. Before you jump to the conclusion that “clustering” isn’t something that would benefit you if you’re not a writer, I want…