Category Archives for Articles
How to Show the Writer in Your Life That You Love Them
Writers have…a reputation.
Whether it is that they are closed-off and obsessed, or flighty and bohemian, or difficult and pedantic, most of us have some sort of mental image of what we think being a writer is like.
That’s probably because we either saw it in a television show or movie, or we might have the pleasure of knowing an actual real-live writer in our own lives.
And we’ve based our idea of what a writer might be on them, creating an archetype in our heads that we either adore or have come to loathe.Continue reading
Falling in Love With Writing Again
If there’s one emotion or feeling that I’ll often hear writers talk about, it’s love.
Ask a writer why they chose their profession (of, you know, writing for a living), and they’ll most likely tell you it’s because they love writing, from composing long-form articles to crafting personal creative pieces.
They love the feeling of capturing a certain emotion using the perfect combination of words. They love putting their ideas out into the world in hopes that they may connect with someone else, so that their words can inspire others. Each time a writer publishes their story, or wraps up the conclusion in a way that makes them feel warm fuzzies on the inside, it almost feels like falling in love over and over again.
Sure, I might be romanticizing writing just a little bit, but can you blame me? I’m a writer.
But just because a writer loves to write doesn’t mean that the feeling is always strong … When you’re in love, it’s easy to view the world through rose-tinted glasses.
Until reality hits you like a ton of bricks, shattering those pretty pink glasses. (Not the glasses!)Continue reading
How to Read Faster (Without Speed Reading)
If you’re someone who can’t just get enough words, you’ve probably got an ever-growing list of books that you would love to read.
Unfortunately, most of us don’t have the time to get through the volume of books or materials that we would like to, which may lead us to explore the enticing world of speed reading.
Imagine being able to start and finish a novel on your lunch break, or polish off a chapter or two while waiting for your toast. Seem too good to be true? Well, that’s because it is.
Though speed reading programs may have you convinced that increasing your reading speed to a superhuman level is within your grasp, it has been proven to be an impractical and unreliable method.
What to Do If You Hate Journaling
I have one diary from my childhood years. It’s a collection of thoughts and stories from a month-long study abroad trip I took in high school. Every few years (usually when I’m moving and it needs to get packed in a box), I read through it.
And then I wonder what on Earth I was thinking. Yes, it’s lovely that I have a record of one of my favorite experiences as a teenager. But it’s so… navel-gazing. Even more than being your typical cringe-worthy high-school angst, it’s just more of me than I need to look back on.
This type of reflection is not something I find helpful, either in the act of creation or review. To me, it’s a lovely idea, but in reality, it doesn’t fit the way my mind works.