Why Resets Are a Necessary Part of Your Writing Schedule
I haven’t posted here in a couple of weeks, and there’s a good reason for that. Actually, there are several.
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Writing Hack: How One Author Wrote 25,000 Words on Her Phone—and Why You Might Want to Try It
We talk a lot around here about optimizing your writing life, especially when things aren’t ideal. Whether you’re juggling kids, caregiving, a full-time job, or just sheer burnout, sometimes the biggest enemy of progress is the myth that “real writing” only happens under perfect conditions.
Why Do You Write?
Ah yes, that question. “Why do you write?”
It’s one of those that gets asked a lot—especially in writing forums, interviews, and on the back covers of literary memoirs, usually printed in italics for some reason. It can feel a bit… woo-woo. As if the answer should be sacred and profound. (“Because the Muse demands it, obviously.”)
But the truth? Your “why” is probably a lot more practical, changeable, and occasionally downright grubby than the question makes it sound.
Turn Off Editing and Spelling While You Type. And Why.
Recently, I was forced to replace my laptop. Not because of a catastrophic hardware failure, or because it fell into a vat of coffee (although, give it time). No—because the space bar stopped working. Yes, the space bar. That humble, workhorse of a key. Turns out, if you can’t make spaces, you can’t make anything
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Change Your Narrative, Change Your Writing Life
Ever feel like a fraud? Like you’re just pretending to be a writer until someone finds out you’re not legit? Or maybe you keep calling yourself lazy, undisciplined, or “just not that good.” Yeah. You’re not alone. Here’s a truth bomb pulled straight from a scribbled note in a notebook (and probably from half a
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Writing a Lot Isn’t Intimidating—It’s Just Math
I’ve spent the last couple of posts being pretty firm about the importance of doing the work. In Hauling the Bricks and The Indie Author’s Scam Survival Guide, we talked about how there’s no magic shortcut—just putting in the effort, day after day, is what gets you there. But let’s take a moment to step
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The Indie Author’s Scam Survival Guide: How to Spot, Avoid, and Outsmart the Predators
Indie publishing is booming, which means writers have more control over their careers than ever before. But with opportunity comes risk—and scammers are circling like sharks in a feeding frenzy.
Every year, new scams pop up, often just repackaged versions of old ones, designed to prey on authors who are still figuring out the publishing game. Because while anyone can write a book, successfully publishing and selling one is much harder. That gap—between the dream and the reality—is where the scammers strike.
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Hauling the Bricks
This site is dedicated to productivity. Writing productivity, to be specific. There are hundreds of hints, tips, tricks, and hacks on PIFW to help you write more, write faster, and write better. Beyond this site there is trillions of posts, books and essays with golden nuggets of wisdom and experience that can help you get
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The Tiny Time-Saving Trick That Adds Up to Hours of Extra Writing
Ah, keyboard shortcuts—the secret sauce that transforms a writer’s workflow from a clunky tricycle ride into a sleek, high-speed chase. If you’re still dragging your mouse around like it’s 1995, it’s time for an upgrade. Embracing keyboard shortcuts isn’t just about shaving seconds off tasks; it’s about reclaiming your creative flow and keeping those brilliant ideas from evaporating while you hunt for the “Paste” option.
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The Joy of Writing Prolifically (No, It Won’t Make You Depressed)
Recently, Anne R. Allen published a post titled “Can Marathon Writing Sessions Lead to Depression?,” citing studies that suggest long, intense writing sessions might mimic symptoms of depression. If you’re an indie author pushing for a prolific writing habit, this kind of claim can be alarming. I get it. No one wants to wake up
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