writing advice
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Talent vs. Skill
The relationship between creativity and talent is a rocky one. For years I’ve heard variations of, “Do I need talent to be a good writer?” with “writer” easily substituted by other creative professions like painter, sculptor, and musician. At first,… Continue reading
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Writing: Balancing Work, Development, & Fun
Passion: it’s what so many of us crave and what so few of us pursue. Sometimes it’s a lack of self-knowledge– after all, you can’t chase something you don’t know exists. Others find there’s just not enough time in the… Continue reading
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Reflecting on a Year of Writing
If I were to describe my writing schedule before starting this blog, I’d pick the word “sporadic”. The writing folder on my computer, sorted by year, alternates between years with forty-plus documents and years that are completely barren. An entire… Continue reading
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Originality; or, Story Telephone
Everyone has a story they want to tell. For most, it’ll percolate in the back of their minds for most of their lives, drip-drip-dripping on long flights, empty commutes, and while doing the dishes. It rarely moves past the idle… Continue reading
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Should You Join NaNoWriMo?
Humans love to engage in challenges. When we’re small, we race down the block or count to ten to see who’s the fastest. As we get older we join sports, form clubs, and enter contests to compete, learn, and grow.… Continue reading
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Writing “Rules”: Grammar
If you’ve been following the Writing Rules series, you might have clicked on this blog post with some skepticism. Every “rule” so far has been a phrase, something catchy to teach new writers a simple trick to improve their prose.… Continue reading
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Writing “Rules”: Kill Your Darlings
Editing is hell. It may look peaceful from the outside. A writer sitting at their desk with a red pen, manuscript spread out, marking and noting along the margins. Maybe there’s a cup of tea steaming next to them or… Continue reading
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Writing “Rules”: Said Is Dead
Everyone has pet peeves. Little, innocuous offenses that immediately annoy us or, in some cases, unholy rage. The range of offenses is wide, from bad drivers to slow walkers to open-mouthed chewing (I feel like I might be triggering… Continue reading
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Writing “Rules”: Show, Don’t Tell
New writers are inundated with advice. Whether you’re in a workshop, discussing ideas with a friend, or watching an interview with a famous author, everyone wants to tell you how to write well. Even I, your friendly neighborhood hobbyist, am… Continue reading
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Planners vs. Explorers
Every book is a journey, from the copyright pages to the acknowledgments. It could be a literal journey, a fictional hero traveling great distances to accomplish their goal like Frodo or Odysseus. Others are more cerebral, characters going on an… Continue reading
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