I have a secret to share with you. Good writing is hard – really hard. I’ve heard from many people who think they’re not good writers. They think this because they find it difficult to write, or because they read what they’ve written and they don’t like it. Neither of these are an indication that a person is a bad writer. In fact, they are two very good signs of...
Read MoreWhen it comes to words, I’d like to think I know a lot. I went to college. I read. I write for a living. And yet, there are so many words of which I have never heard. These are English words, words that I could be using. Certainly my listener might look at me perplexed, but perhaps in the right context they would flow easily into the conversation and capture...
Read MoreA challenge for you: try writing three paragraphs without using the word “is.” This tiny word has such a powerful role in our language that nearly nothing can be said without it. It can, however, become a crutch or even worse a blockade to the creative imagery needed to make a piece come alive. Falling back on it over and over precludes the use of more...
Read MoreThere are times when the words just won’t come. The idea is to big or the story too long and it seems impossible to even get started. You try a lead and then another and then another and nothing seems interesting enough. Or worse, you can’t even find a place to start and you’re starting to wonder why you thought you could write in the first place....
Read MoreIt is much easier to say that writers write than it is for writers to write. A blank page is overwhelming and sometimes the ideas are so unwieldy that the refuse to be corralled long enough to be put on paper (or computer screen). That’s when a writer needs tricks to get things moving along. All good writers have their a few to trot out as they get stuck....
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