A friend told me about an amusing and thought-provoking essay by Steven Millhauser. You may enjoy it if you are a reader and/or writer of short stories like I am. Let me know what you think! The Ambition of the Short Story The short story — how modest in bearing! How unassuming in manner! It… Continue reading →
All of us writers – whether writing fiction or nonfiction, frequently or not, professionally or for leisure — come across the nefarious and infinitely frustrating phenomenon called writer’s block at some point in our writing adventures. It is ineluctable, at least as far as I know (and if you’ve never suffered from it, please let… Continue reading →
The other night I watched the film Factotum, which is based on Charles Bukowski’s novel of the same name. The man in the film is Henry Chinasky – Bukowski’s alter ego – and he is a loser: he’s a dysfunctional drunk who can’t keep even a menial job and is shown hitting his girlfriend Jan… Continue reading →
Writing is my Thing (read: the thing I want to do with my life because it nurtures and challenges me while giving me pleasure all at the same time). What I’m not sure of is what I want to write about. You know, if I got to choose 100% of the time. I have eclectic… Continue reading →
Speaking of terrible first efforts … yes, one does have to start somewhere when wanting to write something. But – many times, unfortunately, when I entertain the thought of journaling (or, hopefully, writing something more sophisticated, so to speak), I end up not writing about the deluge of thoughts in my head because they appear… Continue reading →
If writing is a dominant part of your life – of your being – I recommend you take a look at Anne Lamott’s delightfully inspirational and honest Bird By Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Because I love quotes and these are jagged and beautiful, I leave you with some words by Lamott: “Perfectionism… Continue reading →
This useful and inspiring exercise was created by the lovely Victoria Brouhard. What qualities would help you get that No-Brainer, “Hell yeah!” feeling about 2010? Fun Stability Safety Progress Success Growth Peace Love Of those qualities, which ones can your business help you with? For each of them, describe how your business might help bring… Continue reading →
Recently, I’ve been helping a few job-seeking friends out by teaching them what I know about freelancing, getting started, cover letters, where to look for jobs, and tactics to make them appear professional to prospective employers (as opposed to clueless, which is often the norm at the very beginning). I am particularly happy to help… Continue reading →
An old favorite, this essay originally appeared as a guest post on Pro Writing Tips. Language, copyediting, and tips for honing your copyediting skills I love language for several reasons: double entendres, its delicate and potentially brutal beauty, its occasional dive into the abyss of the ineffable, and its unconscious power. We absorb outward reality—life—through… Continue reading →