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Nobody seeks out advertising. People see it as deceptive and manipulative – a way to make us buy stuff we don’t actually need. That mental barrier is exactly what any aspiring writer needs to keep in mind.
Pitches fall into three categories: ready to go (rare), something with potential (sporadic), and not the right fit (the vast majority). Being inundated by emails forces editors to make snap decisions based on this ratio, so don’t take anything for granted
@CultureGeek
Creativity is like a backed-up faucet. You can’t just turn it on and expect something pure to flow out. You’ve got to make a habit of clearing the pipes.
Haruki Murakami owes most of his writing knowledge to his daily running regime. Sound a bit far-fetched? The connections he draws between them make more sense than you’d expect…
It may seem like the hardest part of writing a book is completing a first draft. A publisher will take care of the polishing, right? No. Your manuscript needs to stand out from thousands of others to stand any chance of being published. That requires meticulous editing.
We’re taught to believe that all stories have a beginning, middle, and end. That may be true, but it’s not enough to form a gripping narrative...
If you’ve got any kind of creative impulse, you’ll get something out of Letters to a Young Poet. It’s a collection of 10 inspiring letters sent from Rainer Maria Rilke, one of the German language’s greatest writers, to a student trying to find his way in
Starting a novel can be more than you bargained for… unless you know what to expect. What follows are the toughest lessons I've taken from working on writing/editing every day for years...
If I had to choose one living author to take writing advice from, it would be George Saunders: Booker Prize-winner, New York Times bestseller, English professor at Syracuse University. Thankfully, he put out a book in 2021 that distils all that experience
Colum McCann once scrapped 18 months of work, calling it the most liberating moment of his career. That’s exactly the kind of candid (and reassuring) insight you find in his book of writing advice, Letters to a Young Writer. I’ve ready it many times and these are my highlights.
One of the most inspiring figures I’ve ever interviewed is Jason Reynolds: a prolific writer whose award-winning work has made him America’s ambassador for young people’s literature.
Silicon Valley investor Paul Graham gives the same advice to startup founders as he does to essay writers: create something that you would want yourself. If it feels important or interesting to you, chances are it will be to others.
Julia Cameron used to depend on alcohol and drugs to drive her art. When her first film God’s Will didn’t get the critical reception she hoped for, her creativity dried up. She knew something had to change. This is how The Artist’s Way was born…
When you sit down to write, let go of any expectations. Tell yourself: “I am free to write the worst junk in the world.” This helps to lower inhibition and avoid disappointment.
It’s going to happen: no matter how much experience you have as a writer, your work will be edited – and you may not like how it feels. Here are some important things to keep in mind…
Stories are like cakes. They can come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and flavors – but they’re usually made from the same basic ingredients: characters, plot, structure, and conflict.
The tricky thing about creativity is that nobody can agree on its definition. But whether you think of it in terms of specifics or generalities, there are all sorts of misconceptions about it...
What would you do, even if you knew you might fail? That is the secret to creative fulfillment, according to bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert.
The language of experts and educators couldn’t be more different from the kind of writing that connects with the wider world.
What made Ernest Hemingway one of the most celebrated writers in history? His use of language was clear, concise, and yet profoundly evocative. Much of that ability stems from a technique known as the 'iceberg theory’ of writing.
Make lots of mistakes. Sign up to activities you know you’re going to suck at. Embrace these messes until you’re unafraid to be embarrassed. This is a proven antidote to the number one killer of creativity: fear. It’s also a key takeaway from a gem of a b
There are two types of interviewee that a writer needs to prepare for: the professional and the layperson. Each one requires a different approach.
Let’s say you dream of making a film or writing the next great novel, but you just never get very far with it. This experience is called resistance.
Robert Caro is arguably the world’s most celebrated political biographer. Why? His dedication to the craft is unparalleled.
Feature writing is designed to sustain engagement from start to finish. Where newswriting and research papers follow a strict template, the goal here is to both inform and entertain.
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