Has a friend or family member ever performed a spot-on imitation of you that left you wondering if you really knew yourself at all? We each have speech patterns and favorite topics that make us unique.
We don't want to change who we are but instead celebrate these eccentricities. And, if you're a writer, you want to be able to identify them; they mean you're finding your voice (ah, the ever-elusive writer's voice!). After decades as a writer, I've learned one of my patterns is alliteration.
Read moreToday, I'm guest-posting at Ivorymix, talking through the eight lessons I've learned for setting goals. It starts with some tough love (I'm no stranger to that) and ends with a celebration. Not bad for a Wednesday, right?
Read moreHow in tune are you with what your body wants you to know? You might be ignoring its signals to take a chill pill while you're determined to soldier through, yet you owe yourself the courtesy of listening to your body's needs.
Read moreWhy aren’t you running your writing life? You’re spending hours a day trolling that writing group you joined on Facebook, cheering on others’ wins, and supporting those who struggle with motivation. The latter, dollface, is you.
You’re lazy, and it isn’t a good look. I have a few things to say about that.
Read moreScientists have debunked the widely touted theory that 10,000 hours of practice make you an expert in a skill. Experienced writers everywhere sighed in relief because we continue finding ourselves boxed in by the passive voice and sapped by anemic vocabulary.
Let's talk about those weak words that pepper our writing when we aren't confident and make us doubt our creative aptitude.
Read moreWe're writing shorter and shorter emails these days, making brevity the name of the game. Yet are you committing email mistakes that could cost you business relationships? Let's look at how to improve one-to-one emails.
Read moreIf you find that your marketing content is performing so low you can't even do the limbo beneath it, let me show you what's missing.
Read moreAs a deep lover of the handwritten letter, I have a huge stash of stationery and cards. Yet even as a writer, when I sit down to compose a letter or greeting card message to a loved one, I'm often stumped. I tend to cycle through a few versions before hitting upon exactly what I want to say.
We're all stumped from time to time. To that end, I've created 31 templates for a handful of occasions. Feel free to borrow and tweak for your next handwritten note.
Read moreOnce you've carved out the time to get down to writing business, there are some habits to break, steps to take and apps to employ to make sure you get the most out of your 15 minutes here, 30 minutes there.
Read moreThe really wonderful trait about really wonderful writers is their flexible language. They can spin one heck of a sentence. Yet it isn’t always necessary, and when there’s too much of it, it doesn’t work.
There’s one thing I do with every piece of writing I compose — from a novel to an email to a blog post (hey, like this one!).
Read more