Make the Most of Your Writing Time

Make the Most of Your Writing Time

One of the most frequent complaints of my writing students and clients is “I don’t have enough time. How do I fit writing time into my life? I know how you can feel that time is precious and in short supply, and I recommend to those I coach that they make an accurate...
Inner Critic or Inner Guide: Who is Talking

Inner Critic or Inner Guide: Who is Talking

At any stage of my writing, I may hear an inner critic, a voice that says things like, “No, that isn’t good. That’s garbage. Delete it and start over.” My voice can also say, “I love that passage. Write more of those.” Do I listen? Do I obey this voice?...
What’s Your Type?

What’s Your Type?

When I write about errors in manuscripts, I usually focus on punctuation, spelling, and grammar because those are my favorite kinds of errors, meaning that I love correcting them. Literary agents, publishers, and readers notice these errors, and variations in type,...
Readers Make Better Writers

Readers Make Better Writers

I always loved reading more than almost any other activity. It’s no coincidence that my siblings are also avid readers. I believe this habit made us better writers. Our mother instilled the love of reading in us.  Whenever any of us complained about boredom, she said,...
Why Do You Need a Good Vocabulary?

Why Do You Need a Good Vocabulary?

Writers, especially those who are just beginning to write regularly, think that having a good vocabulary means knowing a lot of long, obscure words. What, they rightly ask, is the point of learning words no one will understand? Who wants to read a blog or other piece...
Plagiarism: The Eighth Deadly Sin

Plagiarism: The Eighth Deadly Sin

It may not rank with the traditional seven deadly sins of pride, greed, wrath, gluttony, lust, gluttony, and sloth, but plagiarism can wreck your writing career much more effectively. One of the issues that comes up frequently in terms of material generated by...