Entries Below Are Labeled WRITING

Better – Merlin Mann

“To be honest, I don’t have a specific agenda for what I want to do all that differently, apart from what I’m already trying to do every day:

The Craftsman’s Creed by Josh Kaufman

Beautiful stuff: “The Craftsman’s Creed” by Josh Kaufman I am a craftsman. I am dedicated to perfecting the art and science of my craft, which I have chosen freely. I am constantly, relentlessly searching for ways to improve my craft. I am dedicated to learning from the masters who have preceded me in every way I am able. I create valuable things that other people want or need. I generously offer my work as a … Continue reading →

Exposing Yourself to Positive Black Swans | via: The Blog of J.D. Moyer

What’s the takeaway?  If you’re lucky enough to have an activity that excites and inspires you, then put in the time and put in the money.  There’s zero risk if you enjoy the activity itself (the means is the end), and you expose yourself to the possibility of luck and success.  Success comes unevenly, so 99% of  your efforts might yield zero rewards.  But that 1% — the black swan event — can make it … Continue reading →

Barry Michels, Therapist for Blocked Screenwriters | via The New Yorker

They brought up Barry and his sister in West Los Angeles, and their best friends were Rod Serling, who created “The Twilight Zone,” and his family. Serling gave Michels his first lesson in writerly discipline. When the families took vacations together, Michels noticed that Serling woke up every morning at five or six to work and did not emerge from his room until eleven. via newyorker.com This is but one gem from a very interesting … Continue reading →

Time Is Money | via A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing

Time=money.First, it’s important to understand that in traditional publishing (which my friend Barry Eisler calls “Legacy Publishing”), time moves slowly. When your agent sells you novel, it can take several months to get the contract. Once you sign the contract, it can be months before you’re paid. Once you turn in the manuscript, it can be months, or even over a year, before your book is published. The large, inefficient, unwieldy industry that is legacy … Continue reading →

How Much Can You Take? | via The eBook Test

So consider this: if all those crybabies with the millions of dollars of budgets, well-known brand names, and corporate structures and connections are having trouble connecting — how much harder will it be for you, a solitary, unknown, “brandless” writer? And I mean writer — not some yutz who got it in his or her otherwise empty yet cheerful noggin that he/she could suddenly put down words on a screen or page and compete against … Continue reading →

The Wordslinger Manifesto

There are only two things that really mat­ter if you want to be a bet­ter writer: ONE: Read a lot. TWO: Write a lot. Every­thing else is just iter­a­tion and refine­ment. Peo­ple who claim: “I only write for myself,” aren’t writ­ers. They’re diarists. Authors write for an audi­ence and for themselves. If your work is good enough to enter­tain, edu­cate, or inspire just one other per­son, then you ought to feel oblig­ated to share its value with as … Continue reading →