“If you want people to do something, make it easy.” That’s the advice of Richard Thaler, winner of the Nobel Prize in economics and author of the...
Better Writing
Break Out of the Author’s Echo Chamber!
Writing a book is a solitary pursuit. You must sit down at your keyboard and write all by yourself. That can be satisfying, but it can also be...
Idea Capture Tools
I bet you've had an experience something like this. You're out for a walk, or maybe riding in an elevator, or maybe cleaning out the garage....
Writing Advice from the Masters: Natalie Goldberg
Natalie Goldberg is the author of one of the top "how to write" books: Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within. Here's a succinct bit of...
4 Ways to Check Readability
It's human nature. We prefer easy to hard. When it comes to reading, we're more likely to keep going when the reading is easy. We're more likely to...
Should I write every day?
Should you write every day? Many experts suggest that you should. Many great writers have written every day. But many have not. There is no “one...
Expanding Your Book
“I have a great idea for a business book, but when I wrote it, I had only 17,000 words. How do I expand to a full-length book?” Jay was frustrated...
Better Writing: Catching Your Own Mistakes
At one point in my checkered career, I was the Director of Development for a seminary. Part of my job was to go out into the highways and byways and...
Taking Stock
The New Year is a great time to take stock of your life and your writing. Here’s how Dan Pink describes this period in his excellent book, When: The...
Better Writing: 5 Easy Tips to Improve Your Writing
If you’re serious about writing well, you probably learned you can always improve. Here are five simple techniques that have worked for me and my...