From my free guide on Gumroad, Finding Ideas to Write About: A Guide for Writers* — Take a phrase like, “I get crazy when” and complete the sentence in three different ways. If something drives you to the edge, other people probably feel the same. For example, I get crazy when people whine about the same problem over and over. Article ideas: How to Easily Shift…

Don’t let your thoughts make you sick — Rumination is the incessant chewing on negative events and situations. We relive every gory, agonizing detail and reinforce it by feeding the thoughts that trigger it. We end up feeling like a helpless victim — a deer in the headlights, frozen and waiting for doom. Since Friday when the U.S…

Listening to what they say can be good for us — If you’re like most people, you think that “negative” emotions must be remedied as soon as possible. While dwelling in them for too long can lead to serious physical and psychological problems, what we label as “negative” may not be all bad. In fact, they might not be bad at…

Just ask yourself these 3 questions and pay attention to your answers — Writer’s block — the scourge of the writing profession. Most of us have experienced sitting in front of our laptops, brain dead when it comes to writing. Early in my career, I was a communication officer for a major bank. …

Become a better self-editor — I have a confession: I don’t like writing; however, I do like editing, and I’m pretty good at it, especially since I teach it. While it’s easy for me, it’s not easy for a lot of people, and there’s a good reason why. It’s hard to edit your own writing…

How to keep the right balls in the air — Does it ever feel as if you need 6 more hands just to stay on top of things? Demands are being thrown at you from everywhere, and everyone wants a piece of you right now. You’re swamped with tasks that all need to be done sooner rather than later. It…

How an article ends is as important as how it begins — maybe more — Think of your favorite movie or book. How does it end? The ones that end with a satisfying conclusion are often more memorable than ones that whimper to a close or end with a “What happened?” response from the audience. Some endings stay with us forever. …

Please stop! — Clickbait titles come in many forms, and, generally, Medium does a good job of finding and weeding them out. But more subtle ones are arriving in my feed, and I’m getting annoyed — not at Medium, but at the writers. The following examples are illustrative only and not actual titles…