Revision – people love it, people hate it. They forget to leave time for it, or get stuck in it forever. Revising and self-editing can bring out a writer’s worst qualities: Perfectionism: It’s never quite good enough to show people. The imposter syndrome: Who am I to write about this topic? What was I thinking? Impatience: […]
Writing
Boredom and Creativity: A Review of Bored and Brilliant
The Short Version If you’re a writer, you probably realize that your best ideas pop up during unstructured time, when your mind wanders. In Bored and Brilliant, Manoush Zomorodi offers a seven-day challenge to detach yourself from your devices, so that you can experience boredom and its companion, creativity. Read the book and take the […]
Tips for a Writing Style Makeover
The revision process is like a beauty makeover for your writing – it turns awkward, ungainly words into elegant prose. If you’re not happy with your writing, you can repair it in revision. Like a good make-up artist, you need to understand what you’re starting with and where you want to go. Do you want […]
How to Talk about Tone, Style, and Voice in Writing
Tone, style, and voice—what do writers mean by those words? Is it worth being accurate and distinguishing between them?
How We Talk: Another Book for Writers
The Short Version How We Talk by N.J. Enfield, offers fascinating insight into human conversation across many languages. It’s valuable for authors who write dialogue and anyone who wants more insight into real-time communication. This is yet another in a series of reviews of Books for Writers – books that are not, ostensibly, about writing, […]
Recovering from Destructive Writing Feedback
Accepting edits, feedback, and constructive criticism of our writing can be uncomfortable – but to grow as writers, we need to be open to changes that improve the writing. That’s how we work on our craft. Sometimes, however, feedback doesn’t serve the reader or make the work better. Instead, it targets the writer, shaking their confidence […]