by Kelley Lindberg Writing exercises are the bane of every student’s existence. But they are the favorite playground for many, many professional writers. Why? Because writing exercises do for your writing skills what physical exercises do for your body. A muscular build isn’t a “talent” you’re born with. It’s the result of dedication to a […]
Writing Craft
Article-Writing Anxiety
by Kelley Lindberg Today I’m dipping into the ol’ email-bag, and coming up with the following question from a reader: “What did you do to get over the anxiety relating to your first task as a writer?” I assume tackling your first writing assignment is much like parachuting for the first time (although I doubt […]
Tips for Writing a Profile
by Kelley Lindberg Recently, I was asked for some tips on writing a profile. When it comes to writing for magazines, profiles are my favorite projects. A profile is a story about a particular person and their life, their passions, their inspirations, and their contributions. It can be a little intimidating to interview someone for […]
Visions and Revisions, with Cheryl Klein
by Kelley Lindberg Revision. The mere word can strike fear into the hearts of writers. Or hope. It’s where the magic happens. Or the pain. It’s when everything that isn’t David is chipped away. Or when the whole thing crumbles to dust. Okay, melodrama aside, revision is a necessary, unavoidable part of writing anything that […]
Writing a Better Sentence
by Kelley Lindberg When it comes right down to it, writing only involves two things: a good story, and the ability to tell it well. Well, that’s simple enough. Okay, maybe not. Obviously, the most fundamental building block of being able to “tell it well” is the sentence. A benign-looking little thing, really. A subject […]
Reacting to Good Luck
by Kelley Lindberg I just got back from a visit to Reality Town, where I got to be random and dole out chance happenings, good or bad, to every resident of Reality Town. I only bankrupted a couple of them, so I call it a good day. It was the annual Reality Town program at […]