Tag: writing
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The importance of The Sacred Pause
It happens a lot. My clients hit their deadline (nailed it!) and then… “After a day’s reflection, I decided to tighten this scene/add this story/delete that thing I was worrying about last night.” It’s no problem for my editing process. I just add/delete and carry on in the document. But the recurrence highlights how important…
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How to Rewild Your Writing
Rewilding is a practice of protecting natural landscapes by “allowing” them to return to their natural state, to let the wild back in. We can apply these principles to our lives, and our creative efforts. Here are some tips to rewild your writing.
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Working with and without Power
Remember making a list of things to accomplish before going into the computer lab or internet café? You’d booked a computer for an hour, and you wanted to maximize that time. Now, with wifi 24/7, we can spend so much of our time online and not get anything done. We can either incorporate periods of…
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When a deadline sneaks up on you
Yesterday at lunchtime I remembered an essay I wanted to write. An essay that was due that day. It was a submission for a podcast, and if accepted would be turned into a short episode (10–15 minutes). It would be a great opportunity to do early US promotion for my book, Tracking Giants, coming out…
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The missing ingredient in your book proposal
I often see a main element missing from book proposals. A book proposal is a business plan for your book. It helps you convince the publisher to take a chance on you. In a traditional publishing arrangement, the publisher is essentially offering you a loan (called an advance) so you can finish your book, and…
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So much of writing is wrestling with fear
Here are two examples of how to push through the fear with action and ideas: – If you’re afraid you’re “lazy” and won’t do the work, you hold yourself to a schedule, deadlines, and accountability. – If you’re a perfectionist and afraid of making a mistake, you push through the fear and write, knowing you…
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Your writing process doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s
Brian Eno couldn’t read sheet music, so he devised his own graphic symbols for phrases and loops. The symbols didn’t matter so much as the system behind them. Here are two sample tracks from his classic album Music for Airports. How do you visually shape your book? I edit to ambient music, so I found…
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Here’s how to bring your process alive in a book
You’re used to teaching your method in workshops and other facilitated exercises. The risk is that when you lay it out in a book, the method feels flat. You’re not there to liven up the spaces between the steps, or to directly interact with the participants. Here are three ways to translate your tried and…
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Writing seasons
There are seasons in every writing project. Spring: Ideas burst forth, and everything feels possible. Summer: You’re on a creative roll and writing on a regular basis. Autumn: You start to sort out what you’ve written and figure out where you’re going next. Winter: You rest—tired from your efforts, fearful of next steps, or replenishing…