As a creative, you know inspiration can be found anywhere. When your heart is open and ears are tuned, a turn of phrase or observation might kickstart a scene you've been stuck. You'll try anything to capture that spark, right? Me too. That's why I've been listening to podcasts every day. Here are nine of my favorites.
Read moreWhat's the difference between ghostwriting and lying?
Part of the work I do to pay the bills (gasp, creative writing pays peanuts?!) is content marketing. This is when I craft website content, blog posts, marketing emails and advertising copy for another company. It's fascinating to tell a brand's story in their own voice, much like we creative writers develop our characters' unique voices.
What I won't do, though, is stick someone else's name onto my product.
Read moreUse this literary device to make your writing lyrical
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 more8 steps to master goal setting
Today, 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 moreWhy listening to your body is worth it
How 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 moreThe TED Talk for writers who can’t afford conferences
Why 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 moreRemove weak words to strengthen your writing
Scientists 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 moreWhy your emails turn people off
We'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 moreHow to share compelling data without boring people to death
If 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 moreThe art of the handwritten note (+ 31 templates!)
As 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.
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