“It don’t mean a thing (if it ain’t got that swing).” That’s a saying of trumpeter Bubber Miley. Duke Ellington wrote a jazz standard based on it. Great writing certainly has rhythm and flow. The process of writing should, too. Your goal for every writing session should be to produce enough good writing to  »  Read More

Alabama head coach Nick Saban has a “system.” Football coach and genuine character John Madden had a saying: “Don’t worry about the horse being blind. Just load the wagon.” They’re both after the same thing. They want their players to concentrate on their individual job and not worry  »  Read More

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 Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. “The first day of the year is what social scientists call a “temporal landmark.” 15 Just as human beings rely on landmarks to  »  Read More

I tell my clients there’s almost always an array of good solutions to any writing problem. There’s usually many more than one right answer. But there are some very specific ways to get things wrong when you’re writing a book. Here are five of them. Start to prepare to begin to get ready Pondering, planning, or  »  Read More