I wrote a short story during Christmas break about a little sheep who follows her shepherd to find Jesus in the manger. It wasn’t very good, but it gave me the chance to try and learn what I need to do to get better as a fiction writer. The biggest thing missing from the story,…
On Writing
A collection of lessons, tools, and techniques on writing.
In running and writing, the first few minutes are always the worst.
When you first set out on a run, your legs and body are still a little stiff. It takes me almost a mile before I hit my stride and can run more easily. When first starting out, it feels like the entire experience is going to be miserable. In reality, it’s the first few minutes…
Which is correct: nonfiction or non-fiction (with a hyphen?)
As I write about my journey as a writer, I find myself referring to nonfiction with and without a hyphen. I must have grown up hyphenating non-fiction, but I see it presented both ways. Here are a few ways to find a definitive answer to whether there should be a hyphen in nonfiction: Does Amazon…
How I Plan to Read 50+ Books This Year
The most common advice from authors for other authors about being successful is: “Read a lot, write a lot.” I’ve always believed this but I didn’t put it into practice until recently. Last year I read more books in one year than the previous three years combined. This year I set my 2018 Reading Challenge…
Maker's Schedule, Marketer's Schedule, and Manager's Schedule: How Creative to Organize Your Day as a Writer
One of Y-Combinator founder Paul Graham’s most popular essays for startup founders is “Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule.” The basic premise is that tech startup founders, who have typically come from programming backgrounds, have to make a mental shift from a maker’s schedule to a manager’s schedule where more time is spent in meetings. At some…
