Tag: writing is life
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Line-of-Sight
Author author author, this is editor editor editor. In a recent maritime radio course, I learned about how radio waves travel from source to receiver. Before then I’d thought of radio waves just “existing in the air” but they do need to transmit from one point to another. Hills, cliffs, large trees, etc can impede…
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Four ways to boost your writing skills when you don’t have time (or willingness) to write
I don’t like going to the gym, but I love being active. At this time of year, my main “arms” exercise is carrying logs for my wood stove. You’d be surprised how even a focused burst of activity every two days can build muscle. Similarly, I don’t love sitting down to write for long stretches,…
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Is it better to write an outline first, or just write and figure out the structure later?
It’s often said there are two types of writers: plotters and pantsers. Plotters are those who write from an outline. Pantsers are those who write without an outline—they write by the seat of their pants. So, is one approach better than another? Nope. And can you use a mixture of both styles? You bet. I’m…
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How to find your writing mojo
Wuh-oh. You’ve fallen out of love with your writing. Call it boredom or block, it happens to every writer, regardless of experience. Here are 5 practical ways to find your writing mojo (again and again).
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Testimonial from a happy coaching client
“Amanda was highly recommended to me by one of her authors as the editor/book coach to hire to help me complete a book project I’d been working on for far too long and was starting to think I may never complete. Her enthusiasm, warmth, encouragement, and sense of humour are beyond inspiring. After only two sessions I…
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Sustainable writing practice
I spoke with a coaching client who wants to rebuild his writing practice. He’s in his early forties and hasn’t written much since his university days. His memory of writing in his twenties was that he tended to go to “dark places” and that it was hard to come back from them. His exploration of…
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Writer-reader relationship
Editors wear a lot of hats. Depending on our skill set, we can be known as developmental editors, writing coaches, substantive editors, copy editors, and proofreaders (plus cheerleaders and occasionally therapists). But our primary role is guardian of the reader-writer relationship. The editor helps the writer establish trust with the reader. Once the reader trusts…
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Creating the conditions for growth
We have a saying in Canada: Good weather, eh? We’ll pay for it later. Canadians have a lot of sayings about weather 😉 It has been a cold, wet spring in the Pacific Northwest. A lot of my veggies and herbs bolted early (went to seed). I’m now drying kale pods in my house so…