Category Archives for The Craft
How Emotional Intelligence Can Help Your Writing
Contrary to our sincere hopes for ourselves and others, we humans are not rational creatures.
At times, this can be an infuriating reality to encounter.
We’re surrounded by evidence that people don’t act rationally: You were the best person for the job, but they hired the dropkick loser who interviewed after you. You loved them to bits, and you’re awesome, but they dumped you anyway. You know you’ll lose your job if you call in sick yet again, but you do it anyway. You had one paper left to finish your degree, but you just kind of forgot about it. Etcetera, etcetera, et-traumatic-cetera. Our real lives are messy, irrational places.
I don’t know where I got the idea that everybody (including me) is meant to act in a rational manner (although admittedly, it would be convenient, albeit boring). Nevertheless, the expectation seems to be there.
Mindfulness for Creatives and Entrepreneurs: Practices for Writing Stronger Content
Writing and creating new content for your website is fun when you’re just getting started, but once you’ve developed a habit, it all might start to feel a bit robotic.
Wake up, write, publish, go to sleep. Wake up, and do it all over again.
Or, if you’re not feeling like a robot, you may find yourself getting overwhelmed by the sheer amount of content there is to create.
Perhaps you run a blog or website that’s all about tips for traveling around the world and visiting tourist destinations. Well, there are 196 countries in the world today, so you’re going to be busy writing articles for a while.
A Writer’s Work Is Never Done: The Quest for Perfection
I often get mad at myself when I don’t do something perfectly. It’s part of my perfectionist nature. I tend to be that way with many things, including in my work as a freelance proofreader and writer, and my job as a stay-at-home mom.
Even making pasta can get me upset. If I cook it a minute too long, I’m so disappointed with myself. And that’s saying a lot, because I am not a good cook. But there are a few meals that I make surprisingly well, and I want them to come out perfectly every time.
Many writers are perfectionists. Rewriting can be done so many times that it starts to drive a person bonkers. Writers often think they have left out something important in a piece, and it’s difficult to convince them to let go of the work and publish it.
Writing Styles of Famous Authors
If you’re a creative of any kind, you’ve experienced the intense desire to be special. Not just special to a partner or a child, but special to the world. Special at what you do.
Part of the reason people create is so they can leave their mark on the world; so they don’t disappear into oblivion when they die. So they are remembered.