writing-process Archives

I decided to share my novel writing progress spreadsheet today. The biggest motivation for this word count and progress tool is how much easier it is to finish when you write every single day. Writing every single day without fail; i.e. building some momentum. The lie we tell ourselve... →

In his wonderful book Musicophilia, neurologist Oliver Sacks describes Clive Wearing, a musician and musicologist whose memory was erased almost entirely after a severe brain infection. Post-trauma, Clive’s short-term memory lasted only a matter of seconds. Sacks writes, “He rem... →

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 ha... →

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.  Succe... →

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 wok... →

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 an... →