Archive for August 2022
3 Things to Never Say to a Writer
I’ve been writing professionally now for more than 16 years. So trust me when I say you do need to hear some constructive criticism if you want to improve and be successful in this craft. The key word, though, is constructive. If you want people to take you seriously, then you need to set them straight when…
Read More5 Unique Ways to Know You’re a Good Writer
Writers always want to know if we’re any good. But we have a dilemma: We know the publishing industry has its biases and is profit-oriented. Yet, we also assume that good writing naturally demands attention/publication. We think, too, that success translates into paychecks and big followings. So it’s difficult to know whether the system is the issue…
Read MoreWriting Workshops: What Should They Really Teach?
If you want to get better at writing, just sign up for writing workshops, right? Maybe not. How writing workshops meet the need for a little pain In an article for The Practical Writer, Dan Barden argued that writing workshops don’t work. And the problem is twofold. We take a democratic approach and assume everyone has something…
Read MoreThe Burning Question: How Far Would You Go to Save Your Writing?
I come across intriguing and surprising things on social media just about every day. Today’s prize? This gem from the BBC: Now, this piece is a few years old. But it showed up again on Twitter with just one question posed to writers. Would you do what this guy did to save your writing? Why you might–or might…
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