writing
Consumption is underrated.
“Create. Don’t consume.” Do you hear this mantra as much as I do? Does it get under your skin too? Behind every hour of good writing is at least 10 hours of reading. Every great writer I’ve known is a voracious reader. Every great musician I’ve known
Practical Ways to Post Something Every Day
I create the equivalent of at least 1 book worth of writing per week. Most of my work ends up in newsletters, websites, and marketing campaigns for companies you know very well. You won’t see my name, but you’re probably reading my stuff all the time. On good
After, Not Once
When I was a technical writer, one of the first things I learned was the difference between “once” and “after.” We were just creating manuals and procedures, but this one rule was profound and extended way beyond our day-to-day writing. The rule was: never use “once.” “Once” is an imprecise
Daily Lunch Notes Update
This may be the last two weeks of my punny, daily lunch [https://www.cjchilvers.com/my-most-important-daily-writing-assignment/] notes [https://www.cjchilvers.com/daily-lunch-notes/] to my son. He says the other kids at lunch enjoy them more than he does now. After a few years, the joke is starting get old.
My Holy Grail Pen and Paper
Writers spend way too much time and money seeking out their “grail” pen and paper combo — the tools that will make their work so much “smoother.” It’s a pattern we’ve seen repeated in all creative pursuits. I did that for a while, many years ago, but it faded
For the Best Ideas, Go Without
I just returned from a walk on the beach, jumping in the water, searching for shells with my son. I had nothing on me that couldn’t be underwater in the ocean — pretty much just the clothes on my back. That’s when all the ideas hit me. * The best
Get Your Ass Kicked
From Brené Brown [https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9855106-if-you-are-not-in-the-arena-getting-your-ass] via Weekly Thing [https://weekly.thingelstad.com/]: > “If you are not in the arena getting your ass kicked on occasion, I am not interested in or open to your feedback. There are a million cheap seats in the world today
Practice Avoids Perfect
I love this from Tim Stoddart [https://www.timothygrant.co/]: > “Hate to break it to you, but the people who read my morning blog read my worst work. Which is actually the point. This is my warm up. This is my set of jumping jacks before I do burpees.
“You’re Wrong About…”
Is easy. Is often the first comment on any piece of content. Is often under-researched and over-confident. Is a lower form of content. Is a popular form of content. Is way less power than “I was wrong about...”