As writers, we must seek to learn and to teach When it comes to learning and sharing information, I developed a guiding principle to direct me along the way. I call it Peter’s Law of Reciprocity. Peter’s Law of Reciprocity states: “Everyone you meet knows something you don’t, so politely and tactfully learn what it […]
Writers should consider just-in-time learning to round out their education I work at home. My office window looks out at the bus stop. Each school day I see kids waiting to get on the bus. And each afternoon the bus returns them home. They’re mostly excited, but more so when they’re learning for the day […]
Being a writer requires giving up other things, and making it a priority requires sacrifice It’s been said that some people really don’t want to write, they want to have written. They want to see the results, without putting in the work. Yet writing requires effort and that effort necessitates that we prioritize the things […]
The list of advice for writers is long, seemingly more than is humanly possible to accomplish Advice for writers is never is a short supply. Just when we regularly carve out time to write, another requirement piles on our plate and then a third and a fourth. Before long we grow overwhelmed and want to […]
It’s hard not to compare ourselves with other writers and dangerous when we do As a teenager, I remember reading the book I’m Okay—You’re Okay by Thomas Harris. As I recall, the book explained that we consider ourselves in one of two ways, either as being okay or as not being okay. Conversely, we judge […]
“The Book Blog” Merges with “Byline” to Cover the Art of Writing and the Business of Publishing All key posts from The Book Blog have been successfully integrated into my writing blog, Byline. The scope of Byline has been appropriately expanded to now cover “the art of writing and the business of book publishing.” New […]
Writers struggle to find time to write, but the solution is simple I commonly hear writers complain that they don’t have time to write. Some say “no time” and others say “not enough time.” Time, it seems, stands as the enemy of writing. Yet the fact remains that everyone has twenty-four hours in their day. […]
Writers serious about their craft should take concrete action to advance their career In a recent interview, an author was asked, “What’s the best thing you’ve ever done to improve as a writer?” What a great question; I so appreciated the author’s answer. Yet my mind immediately considered how I would respond. Within seconds I […]
NaNoWriMo inspired me on a new way to approach writing a book I’ve written several books, most of which didn’t have a deadline. Though I would regularly sit down to write and methodically plod through from start to finish, I wasn’t as intentional as I could have been. I would take several months to complete […]
There is only one, single decree for you to obey as you write If you spend any time at all learning about writing and working to improve your craft you will have heard all kinds of advice on what to do or not do. These are often presented as rules, incontrovertible requirements for us to […]