Morning, afternoon or evening? Most of us have a specific time of the day – or at least an idealized time of day – that we think is the perfect time to write. Scientists have explored various rhythms of the human body as well as our productivity cycles and have concluded that there are optimal times to do certain activities. It has   [ Read More … ]

A passive construction occurs when you make the object of an action into the subject of a sentence. Avoid writing sentences that lack the precision and connection to context and cause rigorous thinking. Strengthen your writing by not relying on the passive as a crutch when summarizing plots or arguments and achieve greater clarity with   [ Read More … ]

Hearing voices, or auditory hallucination, is not uncommon with people who have a wide range of psychiatric diagnoses – but it also occurs in those who have none. Five to thirteen percent of adults will hear voices at some point during their lives – in circumstances that may be related to spiritual belief, bereavement, trauma, sensory deprivation, impairment –   [ Read More … ]

Education is one of the most important investments a country can make in its people and is the great engine of personal development. “It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become head of the mine, that a child of farm workers   [ Read More … ]

Draw your inspiration from everywhere: museums, movies, books…wherever it can be found. Refrain from ‘lifeless language’ as it thwarts the intellect, stalls conscience and suppresses human potential. Apply concrete imagery, tangible qualities or characteristics, things we know through our senses. Maria Rilke wrote: “Depict your sorrows and desires, your passing thoughts and beliefs in some kind of   [ Read More … ]

You are a wordsmith so make sure everyone knows that. Regardless where you stand with your current writing project, the time will come when you need to edit. And this goes beyond reworking your plot, heightening drama, or beefing up your protagonist’s motivations. It is when you get into the nitty-gritty of the editorial process: look   [ Read More … ]

Blogging doesn’t have to be a thankless, uphill battle. Be creative and learn what your audience wants. Engage with things other than links. Post personal opinions, a joke, an open-ended question, or a funny experience. Blogging is about relating to your audience and building a relationship. Strive to share a wide range of interesting updates and then,   [ Read More … ]

Writers cling to rules. Perhaps it is because creative writing is such a slippery and chameleon undertaking that we like to believe there are some dependable guidelines that we can trust. By eliminating the rules, creative writing grants the writer permission, with less fear, to fully express what he or she wants to say. And, if by writing   [ Read More … ]

Publishing companies do less and less marketing and many are not accepting manuscripts, leaving more and more authors to head out on their own. Writing and publishing are different things and it can be daunting to do both.The number one concern is producing a quality manuscript. You will quickly discover that good editors are expensive   [ Read More … ]

Beyond the treachery and treason there is the excitement of the chase, the thrill of a grisly event and the sense of peering through a window into the hidden recesses of a criminal mind. And when justice is served, with the wrongdoer punished, the morals are absolute. Then you can close the book and think that all   [ Read More … ]