A few weeks ago I shared with you how freewriting freed me. The book Writing Down the Bones, by Natalie Goldberg, played a big part in that during my college years, introducing me to the idea of timed writing as a means to write and discover. Even though I wasn't all that interested in Goldberg’s frequent references to Zen Buddhism, I liked her basic approach: "When I … [Read more...]
Our Work Will Flourish When We Consistently Help Others
So much of my growth as a writer has happened in the context of community. For years I tried to figure things out on my own, attending writing conferences and reading books to learn about the publishing world. This was during the 1990s, in the earliest days of the Internet, when websites were static pages and "You've Got Mail" was music to our ears. After years of … [Read more...]
The Slow-Writing Advantage in a Fast-Paced World
![[C]reating fine work can only be achieved by a slow, consistent dedication to our craft. (Louise DeSalvo, The Art of Slow Writing)](https://annkroeker.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/C-reating-fine-work-can-only-be-achieved-by-a-slow-consistent-dedication-to-our-craft-150x150.png)
There's a time to write fast. Just ask any journalist, blogger, or college student. But to improve our skills—or any given manuscript—we may want to stop rushing. When we slow down, we give ourselves the advantage of producing our best possible work. In her book The Art of Slow Writing, Louise DeSalvo claims that by taking our time with writing, we can improve our … [Read more...]
