I hope you’ve found “writing life hacks” or as I call them “banes to writing resistance” here. How many of the top ten most viewed posts do you recall? Hopefully you’ll agree that they all bear a second look. #1 Neurology of Resistance: Limbic System vs. Cerebral Cortex Originally published in May 2009, this classic […]

Do Bad Habits Detour Your Writing?
In the previous post, you inventoried your writing habits and your resisting habits. To transform resisting habits into writing habits, it helps to know just a bit about how habits work in your brain. When you think a certain thought or take a particular action, a series of neurons fire in sequence along a neural […]

The One Gift Writers Truly Need
It’s “gift list” time again. Magazines, talk shows and the internet are replete with lists of perfect gifts for women, men, teens, kids, athletes, introverts, travelers, health nuts, foodies, book lovers, and even writers. Forget the lists for writers. Forget the gimmicky games that include “plot twist spinners.” Forget the stylish pens and blank notebooks. […]

New Book Update: Back Off Author, Characters Need to Do It Themselves
At the Loft Pitch Conference in November, the two agents I pitched to invited me to send pages. (Woo-hoo!) I told the agent who wanted 100 pages that I’d just finished a major rewrite and wanted to polish the first 100 pages before sending them to her. She said “Of course. Take the time you […]

Momentum Beats Writer’s Block Every Day
One of the biggest benefits of consistently, habitually showing up for fifteen minutes of Product Time is the momentum you build. Since the time is so short, just fifteen minutes, you don’t have to fret about finishing a writing project or doing the best work you’ve ever done. Just show up and do something small, […]