Tina Haapala, Excuse Editor

If you work on deadlines, either from your employer, client, or self-imposed, you have probably figured out your “racing” style. You may be best writing under pressure, forced to open up the creative muse with mere minutes left to submit your work. You may have learned that kind of pressure puts you at a complete standstill. Writer SK Walker said on my Facebook page recently, “This is creativity, not boxing chocolates on a conveyor belt”. So instead of the pressuring procrastination, you keep a slow and steady pace, arriving at your deadline rested and on-time. I'm not here to say what is best, I'm here to remind you to discover what works best for you. I recently finished up a “bootcamp” program at my local YMCA. It involved some running , in the almost brutal North Texas heat. The last day was the big hoo-rah, as we were scheduled to take a 4 mile run. I think about 100 people had signed up for the class 6 weeks prior; there were 10 of us for that final run. ...

I have made three rules of writing for myself that are absolutes: Never take advice. Never show or discuss a work in progress. Never answer a critic. --Raymond Chandler Those of you who follow Excuse Editor on Facebook or Twitter know I love writing quotes. A daily dose of inspiration, humor, or education on the writing life can be just the jolt so-so writing needs to change it into pages filled with witty dialogue, creative conflict and compelling characters. Especially if the quote feels like the Truth. But what if it doesn't? As a writing coach , I know that each writer needs to find her own truth. A writing prompt that leads to a full-blown novel outline for one may barely be enough to squeeze out a few words from another. Whether you are a new or seasoned writer, you are bombarded with different "rules" on writing all of the time. The key is to develop your own rules to writing, and to be ready to edit them if they aren't working for you. So, what about Cha...

Last time, I talked about people in our lives that are pretty sure they know how to be successful writers, because they spent much of their time reading. Sometimes their advice can be a blessing, sometimes just the opposite. It is the same with the plethora of advice available from other writers. Have you checked out almost every book about the writing process from your local library at one time or another? Are your shelves lined with your own copies of "the-perfect-writing-advice-that-will-get-me-published-once-and-for-all"? Are you a member of multiple online writing communities? Do you hold your breath just a little bit when waiting from the critique from that "certain someone" in your writing group? Yeah. Me too. And I don't think that gaining knowledge is a bad thing. We just have to be careful. Don't Let Too Many Cooks Create a Recipe for Disaster I love great food, I savor the tastes and textures of all kinds of cuisine; but unless I have specif...