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Category Archives for Creativity

philosophy writing

A Philosophy of Writing: How To See the Bigger Picture Behind Your Craft

The word “philosophy” means to be a friend of wisdom; to become wiser. In this context, a philosophy of writing refers to understanding and reflecting on your writing, with the goal of improving it. This inevitably entails questioning possible preconceptions and changing your mind. 

Let’s start with one such assumption: What is the first image you conjure up when you hear words such as “writer,” “author,” or “writing”? Likely, you would give a description such as “a person using a typewriter,” “a notepad and a pencil,” or “a person using a laptop.”

These are all perfectly valid and understandable responses. We often use such images to convey the concept of writing—indeed, on this very page you are now reading. The thing is, such images focus on writing as an activity, not as a process. In other words, they emphasize those parts of textual production that are related to practicalities: outlining, typing, or editing.

In a way, approaching writing only as an activity—that is, focusing only on its practical aspects—conditions us to forget about what precedes these practical stages. We often talk about the right time to write or how much one should write per day, and for good reason: These are crucial aspects of writing. But they’re not the only ones.

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repurpose writing

How To Get 10 Pieces of Writing out of One Brilliant Idea

Companies and brands are expected to be everywhere online to engage audiences wherever they are. You have to think about blog and website articles, social media, visuals, and video content.

That can mean dumping a ton of resources and effort into your marketing. It could also mean a disjointed brand image if you or your team are working separately on strategies for each medium.

Thoughtfully repurpose content—especially around your best ideas—to squeeze the most value out of every idea and ensure a cohesive, comprehensive strategy.

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hobby writing

How Chess Improved My Writing, and Why Knitting (or Another Hobby) Can Help Yours

Just in case you’re panicking, let me assuage your fears right away: No, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to play chess or knit. In fact, when it comes to knitting, to me it appears as something only slightly less complicated than quantum mechanics.

The crux of the matter—and the reason this post is important to any writer looking to improve their craft—is how a seemingly irrelevant activity or hobby can help you with your writing.

In my case, that unexpected source was chess. For someone else, it might be knitting, gardening, playing guitar, or crafting origami.

As I have mentioned in the past about sensory writing exercises, before an author writes about anything at all, they first need to experience the world around them.

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perfectionism productivity

5 Reasons Why Perfectionism Destroys Your Productivity and What You Can Do About It

Perfectionism is a psychological characteristic that makes you want to do everything in a perfectly orderly manner. There are a lot of people who consider themselves perfectionists, and everything they want to do should be just perfect.

Being a perfectionist may seem to offer a number of benefits such as being more organized and having an eye for detail, which in many professions is very important.

However, such a trait has its drawbacks. Perfectionism can also hamper your productivity in a number of ways.

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