What does it mean to trust yourself? It sounds like a good idea, but it is often a counter-intuitive process. It is sort of like the difference between certainty and knowing. Certainty lacks …
Writing Resources and Tools
The Internet: A Writer’s Worst Distraction
Sometimes the deeper we get into our story, the more we seek distraction. The internet will suck the life out of any writer. It will turn the most disciplined among us into bug-eyed addicts. Not only …
First-Time Novelists: Dealing with Fear
Many authors share a similar fear: “What will people think?” It looks slightly different for each writer. What will my parents think when they find out I have these thoughts? What will my friends …
The Necessity of an Outline
“The outline is 95% of the book. Then I sit down to write, and that’s the easy part.” - Jefferey Deaver Many writers resist story structure because they fear it will limit their creativity and …
Why We Go on Retreat
For years, my students had been asking me when I was going to take them on a retreat. Frankly, I'd been on creative retreats, and while I enjoyed the camaraderie, I was never a big fan of …
Why Writers Get Stuck
Einstein says, “You cannot solve a problem at the same level of consciousness that created the problem.” Writers often get stuck because they believe it’s their job to figure out a solution to …
One Thing Readers Hate
One thing readers hate are coincidences. Sure, coincidences occur in our lives every day, but in a story, they are generally a problem. Readers lose interest when coincidence leans in the …
Take Risks – Advice for First-Time Writers
“In order to share one's true brilliance one initially has to risk looking like a fool." - Criss Jami Writing your first story is sort of like, well . . . there’s a first time for everything. It’s …
Setting a Plan with Purpose
Do you often find it hard to stick to your writing plan? How often do “important tasks” distract you and pull you away from your deeper purpose? Fantasy football sounds like a hoot, but if it is …
Finishing Your Story: 5 Tips to Get You to the End
For all you writers struggling somewhere in the middle of your manuscript, here are five tips to get you to the end. 1) Create a deadline for yourself. Think of a practical timeframe to complete …
Most popular posts
Your Writing Process is Valid
Every writer has their own way of working, a process that has to be developed and honed over many years. Margaret Atwood starts with a rough notion of how the story will develop, “which usually turns out to be wrong,” she says. She moves back and forth between writing longhand and on the computer. When …
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How to Write Your First Novel
Writing your first book might actually be fun. I’m serious. I know you’re terrified. It’s a scary thing to do. But, at the risk of sounding like I was raised on a Portland commune, that fear is just energy. In writing your first book, it really is possible to flip that switch, and allow your …
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Stepping Into Your True Power
What does it mean to trust yourself? It sounds like a good idea, but it is often a counter-intuitive process. It is sort of like the difference between certainty and knowing. Certainty lacks curiosity, it is a fixed idea, while knowing involves trusting yourself while remaining open to whatever the universe has in store. To …
Read MoreBrowse Writing Books in the Shop
A collection of books, videos, and audio resources from Alan Watt.
Recent Posts
Stepping Into Your True Power
What does it mean to trust yourself? It sounds like a good idea, but it is often a counter-intuitive process. It is sort of like the difference between certainty and knowing. Certainty lacks curiosity, it is a fixed idea, while knowing involves trusting yourself while remaining open to whatever the universe has in store. To …
Read More
The Internet: A Writer’s Worst Distraction
Sometimes the deeper we get into our story, the more we seek distraction. The internet will suck the life out of any writer. It will turn the most disciplined among us into bug-eyed addicts. Not only can it swallow great chunks of our precious writing time, it can assault the senses and steer us away …
Read More
First-Time Novelists: Dealing with Fear
Many authors share a similar fear: “What will people think?” It looks slightly different for each writer. What will my parents think when they find out I have these thoughts? What will my friends think when they discover I’m not always as caring as they might have believed? What will my children think when they find …
Read More
The Necessity of an Outline
“The outline is 95% of the book. Then I sit down to write, and that’s the easy part.” – Jefferey Deaver Many writers resist story structure because they fear it will limit their creativity and lead to formulaic writing. But here’s the thing: story structure is not an equation designed to reduce your story to …
Read More
Why We Go on Retreat
For years, my students had been asking me when I was going to take them on a retreat. Frankly, I’d been on creative retreats, and while I enjoyed the camaraderie, I was never a big fan of communal bathrooms. But then I started to imagine the retreat I would love to go on. I …
Read More
Why Writers Get Stuck
Einstein says, “You cannot solve a problem at the same level of consciousness that created the problem.” Writers often get stuck because they believe it’s their job to figure out a solution to their protagonist’s dramatic problem. It’s not. Here’s why. Your protagonist doesn’t have a problem. They have a dilemma. A dilemma is a …
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One Thing Readers Hate
One thing readers hate are coincidences. Sure, coincidences occur in our lives every day, but in a story, they are generally a problem. Readers lose interest when coincidence leans in the protagonist’s favor because coincidence or convenience does not convey meaning. It is conflict that reveals character. In fact, readers often perceive coincidence as an …
Read More
Take Risks – Advice for First-Time Writers
“In order to share one’s true brilliance one initially has to risk looking like a fool.” – Criss Jami Writing your first story is sort of like, well . . . there’s a first time for everything. It’s scary and exciting, and you’re not quite sure if you’re doing it right. You might ask yourself, …
Read More
Setting a Plan with Purpose
Do you often find it hard to stick to your writing plan? How often do “important tasks” distract you and pull you away from your deeper purpose? Fantasy football sounds like a hoot, but if it is keeping you from writing the book that has been nagging at you for five years, then it is …
Read More
Finishing Your Story: 5 Tips to Get You to the End
For all you writers struggling somewhere in the middle of your manuscript, here are five tips to get you to the end. 1) Create a deadline for yourself. Think of a practical timeframe to complete your work. If you’re going to be a first-time writer, you’re going to need a first draft to work with. …
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