Sometimes it's hard to know what to write about, what your "brand" is, or what topics and themes can hold your interest over time. What should you be writing? To figure that out, it helps to pay attention to the ideas and issues you're drawn to. I've suggested before that keeping "five fat files," whether physical or virtual, can be one way to collect information … [Read more...]
#56: To Learn How to Write, You Have to Write
Writers become writers because they read something that made them want to pick up a pen or open a laptop and do the same thing. They read some piece of literature that inspired. Did that happen to you? Maybe when you were young? Maybe last week? You opened a book and thought: This novel makes me want to tell a story, too, with characters as vibrant as these and … [Read more...]
#55: Writers Should Say Yes to New Experiences
It seems like writers are encouraged to do three things: Apply bottom to chair, write regularly, and read a lot. This is great advice, and I encourage writers to do all three. But there are a lot of other things a person can do to become a stronger, more interesting writer. One of those is to say yes to new experiences. I got this advice in a session at the first … [Read more...]
#52: Open Your Heart and Invite Your Reader In
The inspiration for the 50-Headline Challenge that I introduced back in Episode 50 came from an interview with Jon Morrow, who wrote 100 headlines a day for two years. One of the things Jon brought up in that original interview with Duct Tape Marketing is that he likes to focus on the emotion he wants to bring out in the reader. The interviewer asked about his practice … [Read more...]
Ep 46: What’s the Big Idea?
Summary and Show Notes Episode #46: What's the Big Idea? Whether you start writing and discover what you want to say as the words spill out, or you outline and plot it all out in advance, either way, you probably have a big idea. With the first method, you may not be able to articulate it up front, but I’ll bet some spark of a driving thought sent you to the … [Read more...]
Write in the Middle of the Holidays
Most years, my husband has arranged for time off work during the holidays, taking PTO between Christmas and New Year's so he can coordinate with the kids' break from school. When the children were little, we avoided ambitious plans and stayed low key. We'd sleep in and play Christmas music, work on a big puzzle and watch movies. Throughout a day, we'd drift in and out of … [Read more...]
Write in the Middle of Traveling
On a recent business trip, I packed my portable office—a pink backpack loaded with pens, paper, laptop (and power cord), and phone (and cord)—and sat in the black vinyl seats at the airport gate, waiting to catch my first flight. I arrived early enough to score a spot next to the plug and settled in to work on an upcoming assignment. My draft was in Evernote, so I … [Read more...]
The Writing Life Podcast – Non-Writing Writing Tasks
[The following is only a glimpse of the topic … not a transcription] A heads up: At over 13 minutes, this episode is significantly longer than my usual 3-6 minute podcast episodes. You sit down to write only to realize you've got a long list of tasks necessary to the work of writing, but after you check them off your list, you haven’t the word count to show for … [Read more...]
The Creek Bed of Creativity – Interview Excerpt
My friend Elizabeth Marshall asked to interview me about my recently released book On Being a Writer: 12 Simple Habits for a Writing Life that Lasts, co-authored with Charity Singleton Craig. Here's a snippet of our conversation: Elizabeth: Refueled. I like that. Tell me more. Ann: I recently came across a quote attributed to Anne Lamott: “Sometimes you’re not … [Read more...]
The Writing Life – Episode 5: A Writing Space with a Door
(If you’re a subscriber reading this in email, please click to website to use the audio player.) In this week’s three-and-a-half minute podcast, you'll hear about the conditions and circumstances under which E. B. White wrote—and those under which Glynn Young and Ann Kroeker continue to write. I allude to a passage from Stephen King's memoir On Writing that I … [Read more...]
The Writing Life – Episode 4: Goals vs Systems
(If you’re a subscriber reading this in email, please click to website to use the audio player.) In this week’s three-minute podcast, I share a few thoughts in response to an article by Jeff Haden in Inc. about the difference between goals and systems. After you listen, I'd love to hear some of your own responses both to the podcast and to the questions below. Do … [Read more...]
The Writing Life – Episode 2: Rescue Lost Time
Listen to The Writing Life with Ann Kroeker Episode 2: Rescue Lost Time When over the past week might you have rescued lost time to work toward a writing deadline? What tool or tools might you use to start rescuing lost time? Learn more about: Google docs Voice-to-text feature on phones (some people use dragon, but I just use the dictation feature on my … [Read more...]
Writing and Editing: Handle Words with Respect
I've been writing and editing for decades, starting in my college years when I signed up for poetry classes that often "workshopped" assignments. Writing and Editing Workshops We'd turn in a poem to the teacher, who collected them all and passed out copies for us to read and annotate so we could offer our peers helpful input. On the day of the workshop, we critiqued the … [Read more...]
Writing Conditions are Never Perfect
If I waited for perfect conditions to develop my writing life, I’d still be waiting. Back in the early 1990s, I did manage to explore writing as my work, as a way of life. I wrote and submitted a few magazine articles and met with businesses to launch a career in corporate freelance writing. Then we started our family. Our first three children were born within four … [Read more...]
Curiosity Journal: February 27, 2013
Most Wednesdays (or thereabouts) I’ve been recording a Curiosity Journal to recap the previous week using these tag words: reading, playing, learning, reacting and writing. Sometimes I mix up the order, just to keep you on your toes. Playing On the schedule this afternoon: photography and haikus (see "Learning" below). Reading From the chapter entitled "Moon Shell" … [Read more...]
