There’s a first time for everything I can still remember my first real exposure to constructive criticism of my writing. Sophomore year of college, I received my first C+ on a paper in my entire educational career. Immediately, I rationalized the grade had to be a mistake. I read the remarks my professor left on each of the eight pages I’d written, and I grew defensive and angry. Preparing myself with counterpoints, I scheduled a meeting during office hours to argue my stance with him. Before I had the chance to challenge his grading, my professor hit me hard with…
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Less than two months ago, many of us took the time to write out long lists of New Year’s resolutions. We dreamed of becoming the next Bob Goff or Shauna Niequist—not only finishing the writing and publishing process, but also seeing our books at the top of bestseller lists. The reality for many, however, is strikingly different: Most New Year’s resolutions fail by the second week of February. If you haven’t touched your computer in a week or the last “date modified” on your work in progress shows you haven’t accessed the file since January—don’t fret. You can still…
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You know the feelings well—fluttering butterflies in your stomach, the inability to think straight, and the constant need to wipe your sweaty palms on your jeans. Your body is overcome with pure fear, much like you were on your first date, but this time you’re staring at the mall entrance. You are in need of some Valentine’s Day gift ideas that will express every unspoken word of love and adoration you have in your heart for your significant other, but achieving such a feat is the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest—many have tried, and many have failed. You only need…
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There are two writing woes that affect our writing more than than anything else—writer’s block, and editing when we should be freeform writing. Sometimes writing prompts can help infuse life back into a dry spell, but the newest writing trend is an activity called writing sprints (also known as word sprints), and they can actually help with both writer’s block and taming our inner editors. What Are Writing Sprints? Writing sprints are short bursts of focused writing time that can be done alone or with a group. Twitter and Instagram are also growing in popularity for writing sprints. Anyone can…