55 ways to stop procrastination Sometimes you want to get to the root causes of procrastination (anxiety, trauma, ADHD, hexed at birth by a local demon who your great-grandmother annoyed under a full moon) but sometimes you just wanna get the f*ck to work. Here’s… Read More »55 ways to stop procrastination
(2 min read.) Like many of the writing techniques here on my blog, this oddball creative writing tip is backed by science. For better creative performance, you can leverage the phenomenon of “enclothed cognition.” If you want to write better or differently, try changing how… Read More »Oddball Writing Tip (Backed by Science): Change your Clothes
(5 min read.) Writing a first draft is a thrill. I’ve written thousands of first drafts in my 20+ year career as a creative writer. Some were easy, some were hard. I’ve learned STUFF. I hope my sweat and mistakes can save you some time.… Read More »Writing a First Draft: How to Do It, Y’all (5 Tips & What to Avoid)
(3 min read.) Ok, here’s my real tea on the writer-reader relationship. I’ll give you four practical rules to write by at the end, but first I need to explain why they matter. The Core Writer-Reader Relationship Your reader owes you nothing and you owe… Read More »Nailing the Writer-Reader Relationship
(4 min read.) I’m a huge fan of any low-effort, high-impact, easy-to-remember editing tip for writing. This is one of my favorites because it’s SO simple. If you can only handle three words of writing advice today, make ’em these: STICK THE LANDING. Your story, your… Read More »Stick the Landing: Simple Editing Tip for Writing
(3 min read.) “It all made sense at 2am but I forgot it when I woke up.” Lost your creative idea? Here’s some comfort from me and from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. If you had a good creative idea and feel like you lost it, that’s… Read More »Forgot Your Creative Idea? (Pep Talk: Good Ideas Can’t Be Lost.)
(2 min read.) Today’s creative writing tip can help you add momentum and urgency to your writing. Not sure where to start your story? Try writing the ending first. Why this Creative Writing Tip Works For creative work, I’m a huge fan of doing the… Read More »Quick Creative Writing Tip: Start with your Ending
(7 min read.) We are writing in hard times. It’s 2024. The dog is barking, the oceans are boiling, fascism is gnawing on our doorknob, income disparity hasn’t been this bad since before the French Revolution, low-rise jeans are back, and there are at least… Read More »This Matters (Writing in Hard Times)
(90 sec read.) Today’s 90-second writing tip can help you focus your voice, find more specificity, and break out of overwhelm. Since you can do anything you want in creative writing, it’s easy to wander around and get lost. If you’d like a simple compass… Read More »90-Second Writing Tip: Write for One Person
(2 min read.) You don’t have to write every day. I promise this is better. It helped me build a writing habit without burnout, and now I write a million words a year. Plus, I always have a “just tough enough” level of challenge. This… Read More »How to BUILD a WRITING HABIT Without Burnout (The 1-in-5 Rule)
(3 min read.) You can use this set of guided journaling prompts for creative writers as a writing warm-up, or as a standalone exercise if you’re feeling blocked or stuck and need some fresh energy and vision. If you’re setting new goals, trying to get… Read More »Guided Journaling for Writers: 21-min Exercise with Writing Prompts