Enough already with the cliches. If you write about business, technology or niche subjects, you probably have to bat off the cliches like flies. OK, did you notice that both of those sentences included cliches? That’s how hard it is to keep them out of your writing. But you should keep them out, if you […]
Guest post: Going freelance in a down economy
Going out on your own is scary enough, so why would any sane person do it in an economy like this one? Because a bad economy may actually be a good time to start a freelance career. At least that’s what Susan Johnston is hoping. Johnston is a Boston writer and creator of The Urban […]
Writing is like a hike in the woods
Writing is like a hike in the woods. You know it’ll be hard, but you look forward to it anyway. Even so, when the time comes, it’s easy to put off, to turn over and go back to sleep or distract yourself some other way. Once you’re on the trail, it’s exciting. Everything is fresh, […]
You are what you read
They say you are what you eat. I say, you are what you read. If you want to be a reporter, you have to read the news. That used to mean reading a newspaper every morning, or even two or three. Now you can get your daily dose of news online. I’m agnostic on that […]
My 3 a.m. muse
My muse visited again the other night. I don’t know why she comes in the middle of the night, or when I’m in the shower or walking the dog. When she arrives, it’s usually to hand me an idea, sentence or opening paragraph for a story that I’d been searching for. If I’m in bed, […]
Keyboard Yoga
Writing and yoga have a lot in common. To write or practice yoga, you have to tune everything else out so you can be in the moment. Writing and yoga require practice to maintain a certain level of skill – years of practice to be really good. You could argue, though, that students of writing […]