Writing Advice From Ray Bradbury

Writing Advice From Ray Bradbury

Sometimes, you can’t write. And I mean you REALLY can’t write. You know the feeling: the kind where it seems your soul is so parched and empty that your imagination has withered and gone. The kind where everything you managed to write before either looks incredibly stupid (and you made it public! The horror!) or, worse yet, was the product of some brief moment of genius which you shall ne’er taste again. Today, I’m going to walk you through what to do during those times via advice from Ray Bradbury.

How Spotify Can Make You a Better Writer

How Spotify Can Make You a Better Writer

There’s a reason you listen to Metallica when you’re doing Crossfit. It’s the same reason you listen to raindrops when you’re doing yoga. It’s because music has a powerful influence on mood, so powerful it can actually elicit a physiological response.

But as a learning writer, I had always assumed that music would be a distraction, that it would deaden my ability to hear my character’s voice, or make it harder to find the right words to explain a setting. I couldn’t have been more wrong: listening music can actually make you a better writer.

7 Steps to Become a More Productive Writer

7 Steps to Become a More Productive Writer

I am Harper, a cat, a cat who writes. I have a large problem.

No, not the dog I live with. My problem is I struggle with self-doubt and don’t write very much. I really need help to become a more productive writer. My typist is always ready to type for me, but when I sit down to dictate I waste so much time worrying about the quality of my writing.

I really need to prepare for writing and follow Jeff Elkins’s Seven Steps to Increase Productivity—The Elkins Seven.

How Writing Habits Make Writing Easier

How Writing Habits Make Writing Easier

As all athletes know, whether you’re getting ready for a basketball game or a short jog, you need to loosen up. But for elite athletes, just like writers, loosening up isn’t just about warming up the physical body; it’s also about preparing yourself mentally for what is to come.

If you’ve ever seen basketball star LeBron James’ pregame “chalk toss” ritual, you’ll know what I’m talking about. You may not toss chalk before you write, but you can develop writing habits that will make your writing easier.

This Simple Writing Habit Changed My Life

This Simple Writing Habit Changed My Life

I’m often asked,”How did you become a writer? Did you always dream about being a writer as a kid? How did you actually make it happen?”

If you’ve ever wanted to become a writer, today I want to share my personal experience of becoming a writer. I especially want to explore the writing habits I had to develop to become a professional writer. The most important habit required of a writer might surprise you.

No time to Write? Here’s a 3-Step Solution.

No time to Write? Here’s a 3-Step Solution.

Real life often gives us no time to write.

In an ideal world, we’d all have that perfect writer’s schedule. We’d rise early and toss out five-thousand words before breakfast. We’d lead off lunch with a few hundred more, and after the kids were in bed, conclude the day with another thousand just because.

My life certainly looks nothing like that. Does yours? From personal experience, I’m here to tell you how to write when you have no time.