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Sometime ago, I began work on what would become a series of articles entitled “The Beauty of Ideas.” While that series itself never came to fruition, there were parts of these brainstorms that yielded some highly intellectual fruits. One major breakthrough I had was just how words and ideas are interwoven, however imperfect their union…
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Don’t have time to write? Please don’t feel bad, and certainly don’t beat yourself up over it. Sometimes, we just can’t seem to find spare time because of other responsibilities. Other times, we might have some free time, but lack the inspiration or the drive to actually write something. As writers, we sometimes feel like…
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When the well runs dry and you’re thirsty for inspiration, find a new watering hole. Find a new stream, river, lake or pond to sit by and ponder. When your train of thought runs out of steam, and you’re running on fumes, you may just need better fuel. The one you’re using may be too…
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While repurposing my old academic papers, I’m discovering my supposedly irrational love of adverbs has not faltered through the years. Without a doubt, I’m a far better writer a decade after writing many of these pieces I’ve been revising. As I’m rewriting, I’ll use the wonderful Hemingway App to help trim down some run-on sentences…
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My dreams as a writer I’d say are fairly simple: I just want to write something important. That’s not writing just another New York Times bestseller. It doesn’t involve taking advantage of a fad. I’m not seeking a cult following. There is a deep desire within me to write something not only significant, but undeniably…
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The ingredients that make up a great writer are all quite different. What’s more important to consider is where a writer comes from, since what molds a writer to be great goes far beyond what stuff with which they are actually made. Mind you, I never dreamed of being the greatest writer ever; just that…
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My essay writing process often begins with a barrage of run-on sentences. Sometimes when I’m drafting my thoughts, at least on the first pass, it seems to take many words to complete a sentence. It often needs an abundance of punctuation, as well, most specifically a multitude of commas; the idea being that the mind…
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Once, I was accused of a horrible crime: thinking in complete sentences. Perhaps it’s not, in fact, a crime. But, it’s apparently quite an unusual trait to possess. I admit that I do have a rather peculiar way of processing information. But, does that mean that most people think in sentence fragments instead? That would…
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While I’ve been writing professionally for more than a decade, I have written mostly as what is known as a ghostwriter. That is, someone who has ghostwritten articles and website copy. When you think about writers—or just about anyone who creates something from scratch—it’s natural to expect their process to start with an idea and…
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In school, most of us were taught about the thesis statement. This statement is supposed to be the anchor of any written work, providing direction and focus to the entire piece. It typically shows up at the end of your introduction, stating the main idea you want to get across with the words to come.…