For more than 20 years, the Accelerated Reader (AR) program has been helping kids read children's books they enjoy, at their own pace. Readers of all levels can choose an AR book, read their way through it, then take a computerized quiz to assess their understanding and sometimes earn class credit. Educators across the US [...]
Tag: psychology
From “Writer” to “Author of a Book”: 4 Tips for Imposter Syndrome
There's a mental shift for writers when they start calling themselves an author of a book. Many writers seem to find some magic in the term, some kind of promise in the word. If you are among the group of authors with only one published book, there's good news. That's all it takes to call [...]
On Being a Lifelong Book Collector
I went book shopping yesterday. I don’t know why I picked up anything. I already had 130 books on my TBR list, three of which were recent arrivals via my boyfriend that I wanted to check out. And I already had six or seven that I have been sitting around various places in the house, […]
Improve Your Writing Process
The Outcome Can Terrorize You If there's a thousand ways to do something, there's a thousand ways to do it right. And a thousand ways to muck it up. And the truth is -- you'll never find the process that works for you, without stumbling through a few of those. In On Writing Well, by William Zinsser, [...]
The importance of charity
It's a difficult thing, a solid thing, a hard thing: to let go. To release. But, decisions change the world.
On Intransitive Emotions: Emotional Writing Practice
Writing emotions is complicated. Do all your characters' emotions make sense? Tips for writing fiction and nonfiction.
Eye Care for Writers
Writers, editors, and others who stare at computers for a long time are at risk of eye strain. Tips to keep your eyes healthy.
Using Personality “Tests” in Fiction
Understand Personality to Connect with Audience & Write Strong Characters Who are your readers? Who are your characters? How do you connect them? In essence, this is the challenge of the fiction writer -- replacing real people with believable ones, and then somehow making them real for the real ones. The connections? Personality. (Not even [...]
Write like the greats: Charles Bukowski
Emotion breaks across the page in poetry. I examine how Charles Bukowski hid vulnerability in his strength.
On drinking, smoking, and drugs in fiction
Readers think they're smart. Be prepared to go Gonzo rather than trying to trick them.