Toggling between two vastly different mindsets — being open-minded and being highly focused — is challenging and messy but it's the best way to become a creative, confident, productive writer.  Continue reading...

A big part of succeeding at a test is knowing how to take it. Given that job testing seems to be growing, and that more than 60 percent of organizations with more than 100 employees do it, here is some advice on how to ace a writing assessment test.  Continue reading...

Now that I've worked on both sides of the desk — as a writer and editor — for more than 35 years, I have a well-developed sense of what you have to do to make editors like you. Here are 10 sure-fire ways.  Continue reading...

Emotional Intelligence might sound like another woo-woo, New Age theory. In fact, it is a scientifically proven phenomenon that has huge implications for all of us. Especially writers.  Continue reading...

I'm a big believer in making mistakes. This is because mistakes show you're pushing yourself. You're trying to learn new things. You're trying to get better at what you do.  Continue reading...

Ask yourself: Is there anything so urgent that it cannot wait for a mere 60 minutes? Then turn off your email and phone and start to write.  Continue reading...

I've become a pro-doodling zealot after reading the book The Doodle Revolution by Sunni Brown. If you're a writer or a student or a business executive or a... well, anyone, really... you should doodle.  Continue reading...