Hello writers! Have you been feeling sluggish lately? Lost your zing and clarity for writing? If so, today’s “Quick Tip for Writers” is a mini kick-in-the-pants. Click below watch it: After you watch, feel free to share you comments or questions with us over on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/career.coaching.for.writers.MarlaBeck Have a productive, happy writing day!
You know this already: that well-crafted and thoroughly researched pitch, lovely seedling that it is, may not land you the first “bigger, better” writing assignment you’re going for. But even if your pitch is rejected, keep watchful for the many healthy offshoots that often spring up as a result of you taking decisive action and […]
It’s been a very exciting few weeks here. In the past three weeks, writers from across the U.S. have been telling me how coaching is helping them move their writing projects forward. I’m so excited for them! – One writer drafted her most recent book in record time. – Another writer is this close to […]
After a lazy morning with my family last Sunday, I decided to do a little writing. “I’m going to take 25 minutes of computer time now,” I chirped. (Sometimes I choose to keep the fact that I’m writing to myself. Can you relate?) My family did pretty well with this announcement. I wrote. My seven-year-old […]
One evening in 5th grade, I was brave. I sat with my family in a booth at a local steakhouse, mouth watering. I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into a piece of oversized, buttery Texas toast. For now though, a plastic bowl of salad sat before me. I stared at the iceberg lettuce. This […]
A writer asks: “Hi Marla, “I’m going to start writing again, and I want to work on something I’m really fired up about! I’ve got two personal essays I’m dying to write. There’s a book-length memoir project noodling around, too… “I’ve got a novel drafted, too. It’s 7/8th done (no joke), but I started it […]
In recent posts I gave you a few tips to help you put your writing in perspective and stay motivated for the long haul. In today’s post (the third and final of my “Writing Lessons from Photographers” series), I’ll show you a fun strategy you can use to improve your writing and editing chops. Let’s play a little […]
Welcome to my new blog series, “Writing Lessons from Photographers.” Today’s lesson is part one of a three-part series. * * * Introducing the 3% Rule It wasn’t until my senior year in college that I discovered the photo department. What joy! My first photo professor, Steve Zapton, was known for his direct feedback during […]
It was a cold D.C. morning, March 1993. “Look a’ her! “Takin’ a pitcher o’ that ol’ broom…” I’d framed the shot carefully, and as I clicked the shutter, two street guys slowly trudged by. “Uhn-huh,” said his friend, shaking his head. I looked up. Although I’d been delighted by the moment, happily documenting […]
Given your writing abilities and potential, how can you enjoy your writing more today? My suggestions are simple. Find silence. Use your words for good. Find Silence “Go to where the silence is and say something.” – Amy Goodman, journalist I love the sense of the sacred invoked by this quote. I also love its […]
As any writer who’s coached with me can tell you, setting crystal clear intentions for your writing is a critical step to creating a satisfying writing life. Let’s get you more clear about your true writing priorities. Read below for a simple exercise. But First, a Story… The most glamorous job I could think of […]
Being a grownup writer can be fun, right? You can earn money in the marketplace with your writing, if you choose… You can help make the world a better place by volunteering or writing for organizations you care about… You’ve got the skills you need to develop interesting ideas, combine new elements, pursue new lines […]
Meet my client, Janie. Janie wrote well, and had the writing confidence and the bylines to prove it. But despite a successful writing career, Janie didn’t love her work when we first started working together. Janie couldn’t seem to make progress with her own writing projects. She started wasting work time and losing her […]
If you want to write with relaxed, focused productivity, you’ve got to start paying attention to what makes you happy! For most writers of the writers I coach, environment is key. Click below for a few thoughts about the role your writing environment plays in fresh, energized writing.
Don’t let it fool you, dear writer. That unfinished novel may look like an innocent, overstuffed file in your desk drawer, but you and I know better: the manuscript you’ve been avoiding or putting off for months (or years) can be downright dangerous. Why? Unfinished novels sap your creative energy. Everything unfinished in a writer’s […]
