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Good Apps for Distraction-Free Writing
Here are ten apps that let you write on a “clean” screen without distracting menus or other junk.
Read MoreMy Dad’s Finest Hour
My Dad’s finest hour may have been during the famous U.S. Postal Workers Strike of 1970. Per Wikipedia: “At the time, postal workers were not permitted by law to engage in collective bargaining. Striking postal workers felt wages were very low, benefits poor and working conditions unhealthy and unsafe. APWU president Moe Biller described Manhattan…
Read MoreSeth Godin and Jennifer Crusie on Artistic Legitimacy
Following onto the post about Amanda Palmer’s exhortation to legitimize yourself as an artist, instead of waiting for gatekeepers to do so, here are marketing guru Seth Godin and best-selling romance author Jennifer Crusie on the same topic. First, Godin: No knight, no shining armor “Sure, Seth can do that, because he has a popular…
Read MoreCat is Literal Writer’s Block
Children’s author Deborah Underwood catches her cat Bella in the act of literally being a writer’s block. (Sitting on one of Deb’s notebooks.) Read an interview with Bella here. Like all cats, she’s got opinions!
Read MoreAmanda Palmer on Why Artists Should Self-Promote (Bonus: How To Do It Without Selling Out!)
Last week I wrote about Amanda Palmer’s excellent keynote speech for the Grub Street Writers’ Muse and the Marketplace conference, where she made an impassioned plea for artists to validate themselves instead of waiting for a publisher, gallery owner, studio, or other gatekeeper’s endorsement. She also had a lot of useful things to say about…
Read MoreInger Mewburn on Racism in Academia
A very good and honest piece from Inger Mewburn, a.k.a., The Thesis Whisperer, about waking up to racism in academia, and her own white privilege: At the time Joe and I were both looking for more permanent work in academia. It has to be said that neither of us were having much luck. I barely…
Read MoreFather’s Day Post: Betty Ming Liu on Making Peace with an Authoritarian Father
Betty Ming Liu on making peace with her deceased dad: The war is over. Even though my father was a tyrant who made me miserable, I’ve fought hard to reclaim my life and get to happiness. So after all the years of weeping and blowing my nose at the shrink’s office, letting go is possible.…
Read MoreReader Response: Self-Compassion DOES Overcome Procrastination in a Day!
In response to my recent piece on How to Get Over Procrastination in a Day, a reader wrote: “I want to thank you for your recent blog on how you avoided writing one day and had self-compassion. When I read it, I was having a “blank mind” day, filled with personal and writerly insecurities; and…
Read MoreExcellent Beginner’s Guide to Google+
Martin Shervington’s site.
Read MoreHow to Get Over Procrastination in a Day
On Tuesday I procrastinated worse than I had in months. I couldn’t even approach my desk, and spent a large part of the day in bed. Not sick: just hiding. I was unhappy about this, since I have deadlines like everyone else. And a part of me was thinking things like: “This sucks.” “I’m falling…
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