30 Days To Writing Better.
Honing your writing is essential if you are a full-time novelist. It’s also important if you’re not.
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Do better, dear writer.
Thoughtless writing is the bane of the Internet era (or was it so always?) In this blog post, I give some pointers on how to be thoughtful and write better.
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Playing TV for comforting company. (I mean don’t.)
When I feel anxious and restless, I tell myself that a fun film I’ve watched before is good company. More often than not, it’s just pleasurable distraction.
Read more — about Playing TV for comforting company. (I mean don’t.)
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My need for precision. Or why I hate placeholder words.
Fundamentally, these words disturb my obsessive need for precision. My writerly goal is precision. Nothing bothers me more than being misconstrued.
Read more — about My need for precision. Or why I hate placeholder words.
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Cross-pollinate ideas.
As writers, the world around us is inspiration. Every little thing — even if ah-mayzingly irritating — is good fodder for something else in the future. Keeping an eye out is the first step to finding inspiration.
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The one thing about writing that trips me up: Tenses
In your profession, have you spent years getting good at something, but always trip over that one little mole?
Read more — about The one thing about writing that trips me up: Tenses
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Exclamation marks — how many is too many in an email?
A friend of mine wrote to me recently saying that her husband was called out by a colleague in another country for using “too many exclamation marks”. What is the etiquette on this, she asked.
Read more — about Exclamation marks — how many is too many in an email?
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How do you write everyday?
I don’t write everyday. I only publish everyday. I write 7 blog posts on Sunday and schedule them to be published until the next Sunday and so on.
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If you’re a writer, read.
A writer who says, “I don’t have time to read” isn’t investing enough on their craft.
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Why I don’t do free trials anymore.
Those who ask for free trials are generally those who don’t care. They don’t want to bear any risk. They don’t want to invest in a relationship. They are not willing to participate as equal partners to make this project work.
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Write a good email subject line.
In essence, use the subject line like an executive summary of the email.
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How many hours does it take to write 8 pages of website copy?
Well, it goes without saying that if you can avoid it, don’t charge by the hour. But the larger point I’m making here is: It takes so much longer to do something than you think it does.
Read more — about How many hours does it take to write 8 pages of website copy?
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“Place the emphatic word in a sentence at the end, period.”
Shakespeare didn’t write in “Macbeth,” “The Queen is dead, my Lord.” He wrote, “The Queen, my lord, is dead.”
Read more — about “Place the emphatic word in a sentence at the end, period.”
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Don’t play.
விளையாடாதே!
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Shark Tank taught me to accept myself as a ‘writer’.
I learned that you don’t need to be the next Tesla. You can do great even if you invented a better kitchen scrub.
Read more — about Shark Tank taught me to accept myself as a ‘writer’.
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Empty words.
“This government sucks,” someone said with an exasperated sigh. May be, but what do you mean?
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Choose your tools wisely.
If you’re going to ideate on a spreadsheet, you will think in rows and columns. So, choose your tools wisely.
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Your secret to writing with focus: A stickie note.
When you’re writing about a ‘topic’, the possibilities are endless — and that’s precisely the problem.
Read more — about Your secret to writing with focus: A stickie note.
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Writing in first person.
Contrary to what people typically assume, I think writing in first person lends a certain humility to the work I do.
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Write like you mean it.
Everyone is a writer. We write emails, tweets, meeting agendas, presentations, chat conversations — most of our day goes in writing. But very few of us think of it as an actual skill.