Early in my career, I worked in a small startup. As the only writer in the company, I wrote nearly everything for the business, from data sheets and white papers to direct response ad copy, emails, user manuals (back when companies shipped printed manuals), and invitations to the holiday party. In retrospect, I’m pretty confident that […]
Writing
Sticking to the Writing Habit on the Road
I intended to have this blog post drafted before leaving town for a short family visit, but didn’t manage it. Then I planned to write it during the visit. Again, didn’t happen. So here I sit on the plane home, composing a post about the virtues of writing while traveling. The irony is of the […]
A Field Guide to Writers in the Workplace
On any given workday, you can find countless people typing on laptops. They may be writing emails, reports, papers, advertisements, job postings, or resumes. They all have one thing in common: They are assembling thoughts into a written form, and hope that those efforts will support their careers. They are workplace writers. Workplace writers come in […]
The Perils of Worshipping the Big Idea
Raise your hand if you’ve ever worried about someone “stealing your idea” – and let that worry stop you from doing something. We’ve all done it at one point or another. But except in patent situations and other unusual cases, those worries are usually unfounded. Worse, they can hurt us as writers. Be careful not […]
Writing in the Zone: Say Hello to Flow
You know when it happens – but only after the fact. You’re absorbed in the writing, the words are pouring out, and suddenly you realize that an hour or two has passed. It’s as if you wake up from the work. Instead of feeling drained, you are energized. Performers and athletes talk about being “in […]
Anyone Can Write, But …
“If you can write, you can write a book! Anyone can write a book!” The world of self-publishing has unleashed a torrent of advice like this, which has in turn spawned a flood of frustrated writers and unsold books. This sales pitch is the perfect expression of the Universal Writer Myth. It’s particularly dangerous and compelling because at […]