TakingDictation

How Sunk Cost Keeps You Reading (and Writing) Bad Books

It often doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to stop a job or task once you start. You can't recover what you've invested, so you feel obligated to keep going to avoid taking a...

Why I Hated ‘Bridgerton’ on Netflix

Image via Canva During the pandemic, like so many others who are trying to navigate life with lockdown restrictions, I turned to Netflix. And because I have an affinity for period books and films (minus...
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Pantsing or Outlining: Which Is Better?

Pop quiz: Is pantsing or outlining better when writing? Pantsing is great because... Initially, I fell into the winging-it or pantsing camp. That approach allowed me to write freely with very little constraint whenever I...

Where New Writers Should Write for Free

Writers long have operated under the belief that they might need to write for free for a while to establish some credibility and earn bylines. But is this still the case? Should you, in fact,...
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Why Classifying Books By Genre Needs to Die

If you go to agent or publisher websites, a common call is for writers to create something entirely fresh, something that doesn’t fit the usual molds. But even with those statements, I’m not at all...

5 Tips for Creating a Killer First Draft

Image created by Wanda Thibodeaux via Canva Writing is a process, meaning that it’s not a great idea to expect to crank out a perfect first draft. But I’m a sucker for efficiency and quality,...

Your Unfinished Writing: Please Don’t Trash It

When I was back in college, I worked at the writing center for the university. Some nights, it would be ungodly slow, and there would be long lulls between helping students with their work. On...

Why Standup Comedians Are the Best Writing Teachers Ever

Image via Canva For a while now, I’ve been indulging in watching standup comedians online during my teeny bits of free time. (Netflix specials are fun, as are the late-night shows.) If you’re a writer...
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How to Balance How You Talk and How You Write

Image via Pixabay Stop for a moment. Listen to some conversation around you. Does it sound at all like how you write? It probably doesn’t.  This is normal. But if you want to be a...
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5 Genius Ways to Pace Yourself as a Writer

It's critical that you pace yourself as a writer. Doing so helps you meet deadlines, look professional and crank out a maximum number of projects that can produce income in a healthy way without burning...