Imitating excellent art isn't complicated it you know what to look for--and it's not plagiarism if you are using your own unique content. Have you ever ready a brilliant essay or a short story that really packed a punch and wondered how the author had arranged the words in such a pleasing, powerful way? I recently discovered there is a way to learn the structure and model my own…
Get up, don't trash-talk yourself, and write/ski/try again. Those of you living in the Seattle area might know that yesterday was the final day the Steven's Pass was open. A generous friend gave my husband and I some free rental and lift tickets and we seized the day for a final sprint on the slopes. My prior skiing experience has been a few lessons from my…
Finding time to write is not convenient. It just isn't. Whether you're working 60 hours a week or you're unemployed, life loves to get in the way. Life is a dynamic, terribly interesting force that is swirling around us all the time. It never stops. That's why we love to write about it. That's also why, if you want to be a writer who finishes anything, your life must include…
Writing under a time crunch is one of the best ways to kick procrastination in the pants. All you need is a timing device. A clock on the wall will work, but it's even better if it's a countdown timer. Lots of cell phones have timers that will beep or buzz when your time's up. Tick tick tick tick--WAIT! I'm not ready! The urge to prepare…