Writing Tips

Being an author requires one additional skill that they don't tell you about in writing school. It's a skill perfected by political speechwriters, but self-help gurus are famous for it, too: The ability to produce writing that's quotable. What makes a piece of writing quotable, and how can you develop…

I've been struggling with blocks since I began writing. I've been embarrassed of my writing, felt my writing was no good, worried that no one was ever going to read it, and wondered why I bother. Most writers encounter blocks of some kind. Julia Cameron discusses the ways writers keep themselves…

I have to share this beautiful anecdote by Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Kiyosaki is a self-made millionaire who began studying how to be rich as a kid. He was lucky: the father of his best friend was a businessman who was amassing an empire out of…

Publication is political. Of course, you knew that already. Everything's political, right? But many writers don't realize just how much politics go on behind the scenes of their favorite literary journals or publishing houses. Although you'd think that editors would have an easy task choosing the best submissions, "best" is…

One thing that never ceases to annoy me about the process of writing is unwriting. By unwriting, I mean throwing away lines, paragraphs, entire scenes and chapters that serve little function aside from slowing down the narrative. I used to think that, the better I got at writing, the less I…

I'm in the process of editing some old story material to whip it into shape for submitting to literary magazines. The editing process, for me, is a lot like sewing a quilt. I start out with a whole bunch of different fabrics ("scenes"), and I have to figure out which order…

Writers often have strong feelings about where to write. The environment has to be "just so." I knew one girl who couldn't write unless it was perfectly silent. Another writer I knew used carefully-selected music to set the mood for his novel. Some writers have home offices, with books spilling…

I never imagined that I was moving to New Zealand to become a writer. I had my eye set on a totally different industry. But, once I got arrived, I found that my overseas experience wasn’t what they were looking for. Most industries in New Zealand require a relevant university…

Writing is something you do one day at a time, day by day until the months have stretched into a year. It’s only then that you discover, “Hey! There’s a book’s worth of material here.” The rush of enthusiasm and pride throws you into writing that first draft, sharpening, tightening,…

I'd always wanted to write a book. It just sounds so cool: a BOOK. Even better: "MY book." Still better: “Have you read my book?” But there was an obstacle in the way. Writing it. Books take a lot of pages, in case you hadn't noticed. Back in college, a…