Archive for the 'On High Quality' Category

Why Writing Alone Is Impossible

Writing is a solitary occupation, and one of its hazzards is loneliness. But an advantage of loneliness is privacy, autonomy and freedom.  – Joyce Carol Oates We all believe this fallacy that writing is a solitary sport. Of course we write alone. At least, that’s what we tend to think. It’s not a team activity. It’s one writer, sometimes two,
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What Excellence Requires: further thoughts on integrating new knowledge

Hi there. How are you? Thanks for showing up. I feel like I need to start this week’s quick message with some basic encouragement. You made it. You got through. You’re going forward. It’s hard to believe all that happened last week. I barely had time to catch my breath. And now a new week begins. But I learned so
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Writing to Heal the Hole-Hearted

“The Artist is no other than he who unlearns what he has learned, in order to know himself.” – e.e. cummings So many authors wonder how they’ll finally become ready for the “big time.” I get it. I’ve wanted to know that for a long time too–to know my writing was good enough to be chosen. That would be such a rush
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Writing Is a Process, Not a Product

I absolutely love the classic wisdom from Donald M. Murray, Teach Writing as a Process Not Product. Speaking to English teachers and writing instructors, he says too often we become frustrated because we focus on the product, which is subpar. We want literature and what we’re holding is obviously not it. So we use our training and attempt to point out
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Writing for All the Wrong Reasons

Do most writers start writing because they want to teach readers something? I think I did. Then when I realized writing is So Very Hard, I shifted to hoping I might merely bring some people hope. But I started to realize no one without hope really reads books. So eventually, I think maybe I was only writing for myself, as a natural response to
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