For the past few months I’ve been experiencing a dry spell in my writing because I’ve been busy promoting my latest book “Write Now!” What…
I looked at my e-mail today and found that a literary agent in New York is interested in reading a hundred pages of a novel…
There have been many times I’ve looked out the window of my study and said to myself, “It sure would be nice to get outside…
I have a mantra that goes, “Write, Revise, Advertise and Exercise.” Write means to write in my journal or create a story. Revise—to rework an…
If you wait for inspiration to start writing, you might have to wait weeks, months or even years. The first thing you have to do…
Just write, don’t stop, keep your pen or fingers moving and don’t look back until you’re finished.
Me, I love to write. What am I doing today to make myself a better writer? I’m writing.
I write to encourage people who want to write but who don’t have the confidence in themselves to put words on paper.
Pen and paper are a must at all times, even on your nightstand, because you never know when an idea will come a-knockin’.
I chose to become a writer in 1969 because I felt compelled to write a novel–A Class of Leaders. I wanted to share it with…
For the past few years I find that writing my first drafts flow much better while sitting in a coffeehouse, library or even my car.…
I go over a piece–an essay, poem, story or chapter–maybe 10, 20, 50 or 100 times before it becomes a final draft. I constantly go…
That’s what writing is all about–confidence. Confidence is so important, especially in the writing process. When you have confidence you write freely and loosely, you’re…
Writing has made me walk and walking has made me write. When I quit the teaching profession at the age of 29 to become a…
It’s 9:45 in the evening. I’m sitting at my computer to write about time and the writing process. I usually don’t write around this time…
What is a writer to do in a world that is trying its best, day and night, to stop him from sitting down and writing?…
“I don’t understand why people call them deadlines. The word should be lifelines.”
So how am I able to write with those two chatterboxes still going non-stop behind me?
I sometimes write as fast as I can, as I’m doing now, to see what my subconscious will let out of the cage.
Today a person can find any type of quotation on the Internet within seconds. I sometimes browse the Internet to see what other writers have…
A lot of beginning writers wonder if they’ll ever discover their “voice.” I surely thought the same when I began my writing career.
Where does a writer get material to write about? I can’t speak for other writers, I can only speak for myself. I get my material…
Sometimes a story idea pops into a writer’s mind while writing or while doing something else. Sometimes it comes from out of the blue in…
Sometimes I say to myself, “I want to write about the writing process except I don’t know what to say. I’m lost. Here I am…
Since I became a writer 40 years ago, I’ve had to dish out a lot more money than I’ve taken in…I would be a millionaire…
I know that most writers have to work at another job to survive in this world, which leaves them little time and energy to write.…
What does the writing process mean to you? “It means you shouldn’t be afraid of your internal voice.” What do you mean by that? “What…
Is there a secret to writing? “Yes, of course there is.” What is it? “It can be summed up in four little words.”
Which instrument is best for writing a first draft—the pen or the computer? The pen, for me, is a little more physical, visceral, tangible, tactile.…
There’s a quote taped to my desktop computer that’s staring me in the face this very second. It comes from a writer who’s influenced me…
My cousin Ben called me a few days ago. “Joe,” he said, “I’ve read everything you’ve written about writing on your website. What you’re really…
Today is Tuesday. I really don’t feel like writing because I have a headache, sore throat, a bad cough and I’m weak. Here’s a conversation…
I’m going to take a ramble into the crevices of my mind to see what comes out of me. Here I go: I’m sitting in…
While teaching at Fremont High School in South Los Angeles, I wrote in my journal, every day, for four months, and used those notes to…
Many writers have asked me, “What should I do if I have to write something, or feel like writing something, but don’t know what to…
There are many reasons why writers write. Anger, Revenge, Happiness, Depression, Redemption, Synchronicity, Discovery, Beauty, to Inform, to Inspire, to Entertain…and the list can go…
I spent a great deal of time revising “Week 36—The Complete Story.” I wanted you, the reader, to understand exactly what I was trying to…
… the best way to write is to write as swiftly as you can without looking back. Read what the following writers have said on…
Some writers never send their stories or articles to magazines, nor do they query agents or editors about their book manuscripts. Why? They’re afraid of…
A lot of people are hesitant to write because they feel that every word has to be perfect the first time out, that whatever they…
My editor is a man who puts a flame to my ass, which makes me want to jump, shout and start doing. Since I haven’t…
I’m trying to get you to stop procrastinating and start writing that story, essay, poem or book that’s been on your mind for God knows…
I contend that a real writer doesn’t write when he feels like it, he writes five, six, seven days a week because writing is his…
I believe getting feedback for your writing is necessary. It’s a good idea to have someone else read your work before typing up a final…
It is now possible for writers to present their work on the Internet, not only in written form but in audio-visual form as well.
A few years back my friend in Portland, Steve Carey, told me about a woman who went to different coffeehouses, put a stack of her…
Did you ever proofread the galleys of your own book before it was published? It’s boring—until you find a typo, otherwise known as a mistake.
Since it’s a few weeks before a new year begins, here’s a list of my writing resolutions: (1) Set deadlines/lifelines for myself if I want…
I vowed to write an essay each week on the writing process. I found out that no matter how I was feeling or whether I…
Today I looked for “writing process” quotes on the Internet and found six of them. To make it lucky number seven, I’m adding my own…
In “Week 8 – Why I Write” I wrote down 16 reasons why I write. I’m adding ten more to this week’s entry.
I promised myself I would write an essay each week for a whole year on the writing process. I’m extremely happy that I’ve met my…