Writing Tip: Unstacking Writer’s Block

1. Don’t Believe the Hype A writer revealed to me that she does not believe in writer’s block.  So, just don’t believe a block exists.  Focus on the work. Mediate on it. Release the fears. I liken writer’s block to stage fright; you just have to do it to overcome it. 2. Rebel with a Pause In the middle of writing that long passage, an assignment, or blog post—stop. The wall comes up suddenly....

Writing Tip: Can you write anywhere at anytime?

A writer’s best place to write should be anywhere, at anytime. Yet, this writing tip is a difficult goal for most writers to achieve. Many of us must be in the right moment. The pitch, the wind, the moons must align. We must be in our favorite chair, sipping our favorite brand of coffee, or wearing our “writing shoes.” We need the right place to create. So where are your favorite places to write?  Do...

5 Writing Tips: Keeping a trenchant verbal edge

  When you are not writing or during your down time, it is a good idea to keep your mind sharp through exercise. Personally, I play Wordscraper on FB, I have another friend, a reporter who solves crossword puzzles in his free time. Try these activities in your off time to maintain or build your verbal skills.   1.       Play word games, puzzles, and other type verbal games As I noted above, I am an...

16 Writing Tips for Writers: The Basics

1.       Write every day It is the cliché we hear all the time but it does work. Writing everyday creates momentum. It forces you back to the well to drink more water, creating a relationship between you and your work   2.      Writing is Rewriting Hard writing makes easy reading and easy writing makes hard reading. This is the best quote I have heard that speaks for the need of rewriting. ...

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Write it small.

Writing Tip: Are you overstuffed with content? I am

I think the one thing that I have noticed with the growth of social media is being simply overwhelmed.  I am wondering if there is plainly too much content on the web now? It makes wonder how much content is added on the web each minute—it must be a staggering number!  With everyone becoming their own channel, distributing original content and redistributing content—syndication—information is easily...

Writing Tip: The Power of the Prompt

Image by Okinawa Soba via Flickr Writers often use writing prompts to practice their craft.  The prompt, depending on the subject helps a writer to create work, practice, write an essay or answer a question.  A prompt is specific or broad. When I was teaching, I used “homelessness” as a writing prompt for my students.   For many, it was a difficult subject to broach because they only thought about the...