DAMN GOOD WRITING TIPS

One of the great joys of being a writer came to me when I read an essay of mine called, “Meltdown” at City Lights bookstore in San Francisco. Famous for the likes of Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, and the Beat Poets, City Lights looks and feels like a punk rocker at a prom–a little dangerous [...]

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“…With the approach of evening long, blue, spiky-edged shadows creep out over the snowfields, while a rosy glow, at first scarce discernible, gradually deepens, suffusing every peak and flushing the glaciers and the harsh crags above them. This is the alpenglow, the most impressive of all the terrestrial manifestations of God. At the touch of [...]

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First thoughts have tremendous energy. It is the way the mind first flashes on something. –Natalie Goldberg As I read these words by Natalie Goldberg it strikes me how often I dismiss my first thoughts. Many times my body will literally thrum with excitement––that “tremendous energy”––as an idea or a way of weaving certain images [...]

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One of the best pieces of advice I ever heard about writing was this: lower your standards. These words were spoken by Kim Stafford, son of writer and poet William Stafford. Kim said “lower your standards” were the words his father uttered when asked by people how they could write as prolifically as he did [...]

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Revision means being willing to “see again,” to “start over” if necessary. If you’re committed to making a piece work, nothing can be sacred. You must be willing to let go of all of it. When you achieve this mindset, question the largest issues such as the structure of the piece, its voice and protagonist. [...]

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Bent over the bone white pages (or the melancholy light from her computer screen) the writer scribes long into the loveless night. To many of us, writers conjure up visions of solitary figures. But is that really so? After all, isn’t writing at its best a conversation between the writer and the reader? Writing for [...]

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If you find yourself stalled in your writing, you might be caught in the endless, unproductive loop of editing-as-you-go. Stop! Listen to the wisdom of one very smart bear. “You can’t help respecting anybody who can spell TUESDAY, even if he doesn’t spell it right; but spelling isn’t everything. There are days when spelling Tuesday [...]

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Only by writing extensively, including keeping a journal, are you likely to find your voice. Editors and writing teachers can help with grammar, structure, and sense– but they shouldn’t fundamentally mess with your style. Your voice––comprised of cadence, rhythm, word choice, tempo, and syntax––is your fingerprint as an author. It’s what makes you, you. Could [...]

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