Category: writing tips

  • Friday’s Findings: Getting Through Storytelling Problems

    Friday’s Findings: Getting Through Storytelling Problems

    “Often I’ve found that the storytelling problems that have been the hardest are the ones that I’ve taught myself the most by trying to get through them…” —Charles Yu Photo by Jan van der Wolf: https://www.pexels.com/photo/abstract-blue-stained-glass-window-panels-30634846/

  • Find Your Routine

    Find Your Routine

    “Find your routine. I sit down with a cup of coffee and a glass of ice water, and I can’t seem to write without that, so find the routine that works for you. A quiet space, your favorite playlist, and write on.” —Rebecca Yarros Photo by eberhard grossgasteiger: https://www.pexels.com/photo/landscape-photo-of-mountain-filled-with-snow-1004665//

  • Aspiring Writer?

    Aspiring Writer?

    “Write. Then you’re not ‘aspiring’ anymore and that’s a really good first step.” —Fredrik Backman Photo by Landiva Weber: https://www.pexels.com/photo/abstract-purple-and-green-oil-and-water-art-30177701/

  • Friday’s Findings: Discipline Versus Motivation

    Friday’s Findings: Discipline Versus Motivation

    I usually think of writing as a passive endeavor, but more and more, I’m seeing it as an active fight. This fight has to do with my writing time. I’ve recently come across a few pieces of advice that are all related to fighting for your writing time. Guard your writing time with your life.…

  • James Scott Bell on Writing: The Best Writing Advice I Know

    James Scott Bell on Writing: The Best Writing Advice I Know

    I’ve been going back and looking at my blog entries from years ago, and I kept coming across advice from author James Scott Bell. I quote him a lot. Two books on writing craft I highly recommend are: He has more writing craft books on Amazon, and I just realized, “I need to read these.”…

  • Friday’s Findings: Goals or Systems?

    Friday’s Findings: Goals or Systems?

    I’ll be honest with you. I did not achieve my writing goals this year. I have no one to blame but myself. Being the end of the year, I thought about how I could do better in the year to come. So, I consulted with my friend, a book called The Atomic Habits. I’ve discussed The Atomic…

  • Writing Advice from Chuck Palahniuk

    Writing Advice from Chuck Palahniuk

    Seasons greetings. Over the years I’ve quoted Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk on several occasions, so I decided to collect all his advice I’ve regurgitated on this blog into one entry. Below are some quote from his writing craft book Consider This that has spoken to me over the years: This is a link to…

  • Friday’s Findings: Character Viewpoint and Description

    Friday’s Findings: Character Viewpoint and Description

    I am a technical editor for an airline, and recently my department moved from one building to a new one. I love my new office. Everything is new and clean. It’s located in an airplane hangar, so I can just step away from my desk and go see the airplanes up close as the mechanics…

  • Friday’s Findings: Read, Read, Read

    Friday’s Findings: Read, Read, Read

    “Read, read, read. Read everything – trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.” —William Faulkner Friday’s Findings…