Category Archives for What I Learned From

What I Learned About Writing Blog Posts from Great Fiction

Everything I know about writing great blog posts I learned from devouring probably a literal ton of novels—and dissecting how they keep me turning pages.

I know, it seems really far-fetched. But hey, I just thought of something they both have in common: Great novels and great blog posts both hold on to your attention from the beginning to the end, and they never let up. So what are the best practices we can apply from novel to blog post?

I looked at three different elements of both novels and blog posts, and looked for three different novels that I think illustrate these really well. And I’ll show you the ways some great bloggers I read have applied these same techniques to their own posts.

What I Learned From Great Writers About Maintaining Momentum

Do you feel like you have endless ideas for things to write about but can’t seem to finish the project once you start it? Do you have folders and folders of old, unfinished writing?

We’ve all been there: thinking of a great, original idea for an article or blog post, getting it halfway finished, and then, just sort of … running out of steam.

What’s missing is writing momentum, that wonderful force that makes you excited to sit down at your desk every day because you know what you want to say and you feel like you’re all too ready to put it into words. Momentum makes you feel like you’re in charge of your writing and gives you the boost you need to get projects done.

But even the greats struggle with maintaining momentum. Luckily, they’ve come up with all sorts of ways to keep it, and we can follow their examples. This is what I’ve learned from other writers about keeping momentum in my own writing.

What I Learned About Writing From Reading Margaret Atwood

There are many authors who have one or two books that I can count among my favorites. Margaret Atwood is not one of those authors.

To me, and many others, everything that she’s written is fascinating and worthy of a spot on my list of favorite books.

As a teenager, her gripping plots, masterful storytelling, and relatable characters had me pulling all the Atwood novels that I could carry off the library shelves. I’ve read everything that she’s written since then with equal gusto.

Behind the Screen: What You Can Learn About Writing From Reading Scripts

It’s safe to say that I’ve always been a fan of television and movies. According to my mom, I had The Wizard of Oz on repeat when I was a child. When I got older and smarter (and a lot more devious), I would sneak out after bedtime to catch as much of The Sopranos as I could before my parents caught me.

It’s no surprise that two decades later, I’m living in the movie and television capital of the world, attending one of its top film schools, and working my butt off to write movies and television that measure up to those that inspired me as a child.

When Sarah Ramsey published her article on how watching television can make you a better writer, I beat myself up over not thinking of the idea first. And damn, she wrote a good article.