Dickens was paid by the word

February 23, 2010

If you’ve ever read a Dickens classic and thought, wow, good writing but he sure does go on, you now know why.  Dickens was paid by the word. His episodic style writing appeared in newspapers and every extra word meant money in his pocket.  Probably for the best, we aren’t paid that way anymore.  Content [...]

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Start at the End

February 23, 2010

Sometimes you have absolutely no idea where to start.   And the longer you sit there staring at the blank page and the blinking curser, the worse things seem.  I don’t even know where to begin, you think.  So start at the end.  What?  I know, it seems counterintuitive.  How can I start at the end [...]

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The Reward or The Contingency Plan

February 23, 2010

Writing is work.  Let’s not pretend it isn’t.  Famous writers have struggled with writer’s block.  And at times we all try and avoid writing.  If I’m home with a basket of dirty laundry I’ve been avoiding all week, it suddenly becomes the most appealing chore on the planet, when I know I should be doing [...]

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Timing the Fire

February 12, 2010

The Timer Method
Many of us work better with a deadline.  Sometimes there’s nothing more compelling than knowing we need to turn something in by a certain time.  I am at my most productive and even my most creative, when there is a gun to my head in the form of a deadline.  That deadline might [...]

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