Posts tagged as:

Writing

Three steps to becoming more creative

July 30, 2010

Many people believe creativity is a trait you're born with. It's a gift. You either have it or you don't.
This is simply not true.
Each of us is creative. It's our natural state of being. As children, we don't hesitate to use our imaginations in every aspect of life. We welcome creativity and embrace it as [...]

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Using music to get in a writing mood

June 10, 2010

It takes being in the right mood to write a powerful scene, and music is the one thing that always puts me in that mood. Not just any music, but music that has already made it onto the big screen.
What better way to put yourself in the perfect mood to imagine vivid and intense [...]

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Better listening leads to better writing

June 5, 2010

While meeting with a friend for dinner a few weeks ago, I realized something important: I'm not a great listener. I don't like small-talk, so I have a difficult time staying focused when the conversation shifts into that territory. I try but it doesn't come naturally to me and if I don't make a concerted [...]

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How to form a daily writing habit

May 26, 2010

In my quest to become a better writer, I've taken classes, read dozens of how-to books, kept a journal, and joined local and online writing groups. After all this time, I've learned there is one habit that will improve your writing more than any other:
Write every day.
It seems so simple, yet any writer knows it's [...]

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Giving yourself the freedom to fail

May 13, 2010

Fear of failure is something that keeps many people from writing. They dream of being published but hold back because they're afraid their writing isn't good enough. They worry other people will read it and think it sucks.
Sometimes this fear is enough to stop a writer from sending her manuscript out to agents and publishers. [...]

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How to Create Realistic Characters With Depth

May 5, 2009

Clustering is a simple brainstorming method you can use in a variety of ways. Its biggest benefit is that it helps you push past your analytical mind and reach into your subconscious mind for ideas that resonate on a deeper level. A single clustering session can produce dozens of great ideas.
In The New Diary, where [...]

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Six Techniques to Help Writers Overcome Procrastination

April 2, 2009

I've come to the conclusion I truly deserve to be crowned Queen of Procrastination. Procrastination is a big kingdom — especially with so many writers taking up residence there so often — so Queen of Procrastination is a title one would expect me to be proud of, yet somehow I don't feel quite as proud [...]

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The Unnecessary “That”

March 10, 2009

While working as a freelance script consultant, it was my job to help writers raise the quality of their writing to the highest level attainable. In the course of any given day, I came across a problem appearing in each of the scripts crossing my desk, and I have since noticed the same problem cropping [...]

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“How To Think Sideways” course for writers

September 2, 2008

If you are an aspiring writer, you need to check out Holly Lisle's new writing course, How To Think Sideways: Career Survival School for Writers. It is a six-month class offered entirely online, and it covers an immense range of material. One of the students even referred to it as "grad school for writers", and [...]

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