We all like good writing and dislike bad writing; we all want to write well, not badly. Yet the words "good" and "bad," when applied to any work of art are so much matters of taste that they often seem empty as definitions and arbitrary as categories.  Continue reading...

I sometimes find myself getting bored when I write... This is not the end of the world, but it's not very pleasant, either. And if we're bored as writers, think about how our poor readers are going to feel!  Continue reading...

While editing for a client recently, I ran into the phrase small/midsized businesses. Instinctively, I wanted to change it to small-midsized businesses. But why did I think the hyphen was such a better choice than the slash?  Continue reading...

Many of us postpone doing things we don't like. Taxes (guilty). Washing dishes (guilty, occasionally). Making the bed (at least I overcame this one 20 years ago). But the real doozie is writing. Why do so many of us defer, delay and shilly-shally about writing for so damn long?  Continue reading...

I like collecting quotes about writing. A while ago, I stumbled across this one attributed to Albert Einstein: "Look deep, deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." How is that a quote about writing, you ask? Let me give you five reasons...  Continue reading...

If you feel that lack of willpower has contributed to your difficulty with writing, then follow some tips from The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal. Writing coach Daphne Gray-Grant found inspiration from the book, even inspiring her to find the willpower to write this column.  Continue reading...