I'm embarrassed to admit that my handwriting is so bad and so physically uncomfortable for me that I no longer use a pen. Well, except for dire emergencies or for signing checks from the Bank of Mom (which some might call the same thing!) Instead, I use my Neo Alphasmart.  Continue reading...

I like to play games with clients. I don't mean anything nasty by this! Quite the opposite: I play games because it helps make the learning more fun.

Recently, I had a client -- a reporter -- who was having a hard time writing stories.  Continue reading...

More than 30 years ago, when I was completing my undergraduate degree, I found myself in an "open-book" final exam. Talk about the magic of threes... I had to write three essays on three different books in three hours. As allowed, I had lugged into the exam an impossibly tall stack of books.  Continue reading...

Don't you love farce? My fault, I fear. I thought that you'd want what I want. Sorry, my dear. But where are the clowns? Quick, send in the clowns.

OK, I've just broken my number 1 rule of writing by beginning with a direct quote.  Continue reading...

Do you ever find writing is just plain tedious? Have you lost the joy of the endeavor? Does writing suddenly seem more like accounting than something delightful? I received an email recently from someone who told me he'd lost interest in technical writing, which had been his sole means of support for more than 25 years.  Continue reading...

A reader named Elizabeth asked me the following question:

I am a writer and have two areas of expertise from about six years of combined experience as a copywriter and grant writer. My ultimate dream is to freelance. I have done tons of reading on becoming a freelancer and am talking to dozens of people. I have also joined several relevant professional associations, and am volunteering my time as a writer.  Continue reading...

"I love your idea of reading 52 books a year," said a colleague last week. But the modifier  "theoretically" hung in the air. "How do you ever manage it?" she added.

In truth, I adore reading so much I don't find it difficult. I was the kind of kid who read the backs of cereal boxes at breakfast.  Continue reading...