My Advice for Conquering Writer’s Block

On bad days, when I felt no inspiration at all, I would set the kitchen timer for thirty minutes and make myself sit there and scribble something, anything. I had read an interview with John Updike where he said that some of the best novels you’ve ever read were written in an hour a day; I figured I could always carve out at least thirty minutes so

... See more

One of the most important ways to be sure you always have more great ideas to write about than you’ll ever actually write is to have a simple way to capture the ideas when they cross your path. I’ve two favorite methods. I keep a small memo pad and pen with me at all times. As soon as I stumble upon something I can use for an article, I jot it down

... See more

Looking back at all the tools and techniques that I've developed over the years as a writer, it occurs to me that most of them are, in one way or another, grappling with two critical mental forces: the power (and weakness) of human memory, and the sometimes overwhelming drive to procrastinate.