Last April I shared my five writing goals in the post, What are Your Goals as a Writer? Goal setting is both recommended and wise, but alas, I did one thing wrong: I failed to specify the time for completion. This was a serious omission that stymies most goal-setters. Here is how I did: Though […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD As I gaze about my office, I am amused at its absurdity. It contains an eclectic array of form and function. Although my computer technology is first rate, the room’s remaining accouterments are a varied collection emanating from different decades, with diverging appearance and disparate degrees of utility. In short, […]
I recently blogged about the 10,000-hour rule, which postulates that it takes 10,000 hours to master any craft, including writing. In parallel fashion, I recently read a post by Kaye Dacus, who wrote, “I’ve heard it said that no one can consider himself a “real” writer until he has written at least one million words.” […]
I don’t recall who recommended Kristen Lamb’s book to me about blogging, Are You There, Blog? It’s Me, Writer, but I am most appreciative. It’s packed full of practical information that is actually feasible for writers to implement. Through her advice, I picked up some useful blogging tips and learned what I’m doing right. In […]
As I learn more about the business of writing, I am becoming increasingly aware of what I somewhat facetiously call “the dark side of writing,” that is, the imperative need to promote one’s own work. I am a writer, not a marketer; I enjoy humility while abhorring self-promotion. Yet, I know if many are to […]
Here are three more quotes about writing to offer us encouragement and perspective:
Anu Garg from A Word A Day once noted: “If you speak English, you know a little of more than a hundred languages. That’s because English has borrowed words from so many languages around the world.” Generally, these words are commonly known and easily understood. In most cases, the original language is unknown to the […]
By Peter DeHaan, Ph.D. Consider this: “ACE Healthcare Communications, the world’s leading provider of strategic convergent communication applications to leverage leading-edge technologies, announced today the worldwide release of its revolutionary solution, ACE WidGetiZer, which is uniquely guaranteed to grow organizations by slashing costs and boosting efficiency and revenues without increasing employee headcount.” This is a […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Most of today’s younger drivers have never had the experience of pulling into a gas station and having an attendant run out and fill up their car with gas. When it comes to fueling their vehicles, all they know is self-service. I have a vague recollection of that time. When […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Today I encountered something I had never seen before. I’ll call it a “double opt-out” process. More common is the double opt-in process, which requires a two-step procedure to be added to an email list. The first step is to submit your information to an online form. Since anyone can add […]