Category Archives for Writing

Six Sensory Exercises to Improve Your Writing

The title of this article might sound like an advertisement for a (para-)psychological experiment, but fear not. I don’t plan to demonstrate a way to summon the spirits of old authors to ask them for writing advice!

Instead, I’ll talk about six sensory exercises that can help you improve your writing in a simple, easy-to-follow way.

How To Make a Writing Comeback After a Long Break

Every author has a different writing journey. Some begin theirs at a very young age; others discover writing later in life. For some it is a continuous, uninterrupted endeavor, while others might stop writing for many years. And if that happens, making a writing comeback can be a daunting task.

Each one of us struggles with different things—in the writing process, productivity, and the publishing process. Some authors become disappointed or even disillusioned with the lack of recognition.

For others, life may get in the way. Employment, starting a family, unexpected illness, or another personal problem are all fully legitimate reasons for an author to put writing on hold.

Your 30-Day Plan for Getting Back on Track With Your Writing

Have you stalled on a big project?

Maybe it’s a novel that you began a couple of years ago—and never finished. Or a blog that you started last January with great intentions—that you haven’t posted on in months. Or a side project that you keep thinking about—but never quite get around to doing anything about.

Whatever your project is, this is your 30-day plan for getting it back on track.

What I Learned About Professional Writing from the Harry Potter Series

My Harry Potter story is unique: I didn’t attend Hogwarts via the book series for the first time until I was 17, almost too old to be a student. The first Harry Potter movie I saw in theaters was Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in late 2018. I’d heard of Harry Potter growing up, but I had so many other good books to read, I simply never found the time.

But although I fell in love late, I fell hard. On any given day, you can catch me wearing my Ravenclaw Quidditch (est. 1092) sweatshirt, listening to the movie soundtracks, and drinking a butterbeer latte at a coffee shop.

The book series about a young wizard boy is a classic, but for writers, it’s more than just a good story: Analyzing what exactly made the Harry Potter books so successful can help us become better writers. Here are the top things we can learn from Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling (the first self-made billionaire author) to carry over into our own writing careers.