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I was taught to believe that by being an active reader, you can become a far better writer. While that is certainly true, it’s only one major component to becoming a “formidable writing professional.” Of course, the most important part to being a good writer is simply pursuing the act of writing as often as…
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It’s no surprise that it’s far easier to discover bad writing than it is to find good writing. Many pieces out in the world are “good” and “bad” objectively speaking. But, when we search for “good writing,” we’re looking for stand-out writing, something perhaps even exceptional. In my Writing 102 course in my freshman year…
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Have you ever found yourself thinking: I should go back and edit some of my old stuff! While I’ve often encountered some resistance to this idea, it’s actually a good idea, and something I do often. In fact, sometimes revisiting old posts and rewriting them can be good for a great many reasons. If the…
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For me, prewriting has always been a bit of an ironic term. After all, this preparation involves writing things down. I’ve rarely ever done it in the traditional sense, as I prefer to simply write a first draft. But despite its confusing etymology, the process is helpful for some writers. So, how and when is…
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Over the decades, I’ve weathered entire weeks when my usually reliable companion, the art of writing, will slip away from me. There are entire months when I’ll be suffocated by the weight of writer’s block. My creative spark will seem snuffed out like a candle in the wind. So, as someone who often writes about…
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There have been several times in my life in which I didn’t write much of anything for weeks or even months at a time. Life can come and sweep you away to more urgent things. But, for a writer, having to write is urgent even if you don’t really have time. Recently, I was thinking…
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At one time or another, writer’s apathy has dragged us all down. The usual tips and tricks to get writing won’t work. The apathy takes hold and suddenly we find that we suffer from blank page syndrome. Fortunately, I’ve found a few ways to resolve that apathy. Perhaps the best way of overcoming this sort…
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In my freelance writing days, I’d obsess over word count like a marathon runner counting steps. It wasn’t just an important metric for me; hit that magic number, and the heavens would open, blessing me with more pageviews, satisfied editors, and maybe a check with an extra zero. Or so I thought. But does word…
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“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” – Benjamin Franklin If you think you have something that you should write about, chances are you probably should. Really, there is plenty worth writing about that hasn’t been written yet. What you learn as a writer is that the success of a written piece…
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Have you ever stumbled upon a forgotten drawer while cleaning and found it filled with old letters, photos, or even mix tapes from the ’90s? That’s sort of how it feels whenever I dig through what I call my “Death Pile,” a digital treasure trove containing many previously discarded works. It’s much like a graveyard…