Do great writers occupy a unique subspecies of the human race? Are their brains wired differently, or are they people who manage to work through the barriers that stump others? In the course of working on my upcoming book on optimizing the writing process, I discovered Sarah Stodola’s wonderful book Process: The Writing Lives of Great Authors. If writing is […]
writing process
The Zeigarnick Effect, or the Pull of the Unresolved
It happened again the other night. I watched a television show that concluded with a surprising twist. Later that night and the next morning, the show kept popping into my thoughts, as I pondered different ways the plot might resolve. Ah, the magic of the cliffhanger. Televisions writers know that a fresh, unresolved plot point keeps […]
Deadlines Add Life to the Writing Process
Deadline. The word itself has an ominous, unsettling feel: the point beyond which you must not pass. According to Merriam-Webster, the word originated in an actual line beyond which straying prisoners would be shot. Ouch. Deadlines feel like impending doom if you’re not prepared. Ask any college student in the days before midterm papers are due. Yet the word […]
Revision: When Does It End?
Writing Productivity Tip #8: Balance Patience and Urgency The hardest part of the revision process is knowing when you’re done. Patience is your friend, to a point. If a deadline looms, do what you can quickly and let it go. But when you have time, you must decide: how long do you keep revising? Brilliance, humor, pithy observations – much of […]
Writing: Learning to Love Your Quirks
Writing Productivity Tip #7: Work Your Quirks We’ve all got writing quirks and mannerisms. Writing quirks include grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, or little things you do that readers could find annoying. For example: While writing quickly, you make the wrong choice between its and it’s, or your and you’re. Awkward sentences suddenly appear in your drafts like unwelcome houseguests. You […]
Write What You Don’t Know (Yet)
Writing Productivity Tip #2: Write What You Don’t Know – Yet! Every writer hears the mantra: “Write what you know.” The heck with that. What fun would it be if we only wrote what everyone already knew? Try writing to figure out what you want to know. In other words, Write before you know what you’re […]
