Let the writer take up surgery
or bricklaying if he is interested
in technique. There is no
mechanical way to get the
writing done, no shortcut. The
young writer would be a fool
to follow a theory. Teach
yourself by your own mistakes;
people learn only by error.

―William Faulkner

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I’m glad to report that even now,
at this late day, a blank sheet of
paper holds the greatest
excitement there is for me—
more promising than a silver
cloud, prettier than a little
red wagon. It holds all the
hope there is, all fears. I can
remember, really quite distinctly,
looking a sheet of paper square
in the eyes when I was seven or
eight years old and thinking,
“This is where I belong,
this is it.”

—E.B. White

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Flip Your Writing Switch

Flip Your Writing Switch

There is writing, and there is not writing. —David Morley I wanted to share this podcast from the Warwick “Writing Challenges,” because I believe it helps clarify the exact challenge that derails most writers the most often: our inability to sit down and get into the...

I have learned that once you
understand that meanings are
in people [readers], you actually
write better. If you want them
to understand something your
way, you have to tell them
exactly how it is. If you leave it
up to them,
they will see it their own way.

—Former student of mine

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Paper or Video?

Paper or Video?

In a world of innovation, it is fascinating to discover that sometimes the old ways are still better. Take for example the introduction of the huge, “Harry-Potter-sized” paper playbook given to Oregon Duck defensive players this spring by their new coordinator, Brady...

I don’t write books,
I think it is a terrible business,
and a bad idea for most people—
but I do launch mission.

—Darren Hardy

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