If you’re a writer and you haven’t read Steven Pressfield’s books about writing, stop reading this right now, open a new tab, and order them. I mean it. (But come on back after you do!) All kidding aside, Pressfield is a genius—a prolific fiction and nonfiction writer who has been doing the work...
Writing Craft
How to stop letting fear stop you – and the best essential oils to conquer fear
There are so many things we can allow to become barriers to creativity. We’ve talked about a lot of them here: procrastination, lack of confidence, the old false stories we tell ourselves about what we can or can’t do, writer’s block (also known as the muse taking an unplanned vacation). But...
Why mindset is the most important writing tool
I love to talk about writing tools. I’ve always been an office supply junkie, for one thing, so anytime I can buy new notebooks, life is good. And when I found Scrivener, well, my mind was blown! But guess what—none of these are the tools that are going to make the most difference in your career. ...
How to strike a plotting/pantsing balance
For those of you even remotely acquainted with Writing Land, you’ll know the age-old debate: Pantsers or Plotters. First, let me define the terms for those who aren’t familiar. A pantser is a writer who flies by the seat of their pants—basically letting the story go where it goes. A plotter is...
This is how I’m more joyfully productive now than ever before
How many of you have a morning ritual?I started and stopped mine a million times. After I did The Artist’s Way, I felt like I’d finally grasped it - finally “knew how” to journal. Morning pages taught me this. Three pages, every morning, right after you wake up. If you’re a creative type, chances...
The top five no-joke books that totally saved my (creative) life
Books have been my lifesaver since I was a kid, for sure, but as a writer trying to, well, figure out writing, there have been many along that way that I credit with putting me on the right path. Don’t get me wrong, there are tons of books that I feel like my life is better for having read, and my...
My dad’s (bad) advice
When I was getting ready to declare my major in college, my parents asked me what I had decided. Of course, I’d known since I was probably seven years old that I wanted to be a writer, so of course my major would be English. (I know, I know, there’s fancier programs for writers out there, but I...