Writing and publishing articles by author Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD
Tips to Never Run Out of Ideas I write a lot and in many areas: magazine columns, newsletters, multiple blogs, nonfiction books, memoirs, and I recently added short stories. But this doesn’t sap my creativity; I still have more ideas than the time to explore them. Here’s how I fuel my writing: Keep a List […]
Choose Your Blogging Platform with Care Some people say that if you’re blogging as a hobby, wordpress.com is okay, but if you consider yourself a professional you need to go with WordPress.org (the self-hosted version). Is it possible to do a professional website with WordPress.com? Though I’ve seen some successful authors use a WordPress.com powered […]
After writing regularly, the second most valuable thing I did was to get feedback on my writing. It was scary at first (and sometimes still is). But to get feedback from our family or friends doesn’t count. They love us and will only tell us good stuff. Or even worse, they’ll say our writing is […]
Authors Should Treat Their Writing Like a Business If you write solely for the fun of it or treat writing as a mere hobby, then don’t read this post. Seriously, it will just make you mad. But if you want to succeed as a writer, regardless of how you define success, then this post should […]
Both Are Wrong With changes in publishing and advances in technology, it’s never been easier to publish a book. This isn’t to imply publishing a book is easy, just that the barriers are disappearing and the costs are dropping. This emerging reality leads to two extremes of self-publishing for do-it-yourself authors who want to publish […]
We Can Find Encouragement and Instruction in Reading Great Writing Quotes I recent asked writers to share your favorite quotes about writing. Mine was “Omit needless words.” Here are some more great writing quotes. “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” -Toni […]
Here are the actions I pursue to improve as a writer: These tips helped me to improve as a writer. May they do the same for you.
Well-intentioned but Possibly Wrong Information There’s lots of advice floating around about writing, being a writer, and finding success. Though well-intentioned, some of this advice is bad information or oversimplified counsel. Here are some tips I’ve heard, many of which I’ve also said. Check out these common pieces of advice and discover the truth about […]
I remember it well. Alone, I sit in my home office. I should be working. I’m not. I’m distracted. In my windowless basement room, I swing the door shut and dim the lights. I know what I must do, but I don’t want to. I’ve been writing and publishing for years, but I’ve never owned […]
After several years of unsuccessfully hiring book marketing experts, I realized I had two choices. The first was to not do any book promotion. The other was to do it myself. With great reticence, I decided to do it myself. I did this knowing it would detract from my writing and reduce my output. I […]