inspiration

Why Using Pencils To Write May Be More Eye-Opening Than You Think

/ Stuart Danker / 125 Comments

Person holding a sharp wooden pencil

As much as I avoid romanticising the writer’s life, I do find myself fascinated by famous authors’ creative processes. And what better way of fuelling this fascination than by gawking over their tools of creation?

To be honest, the only reason why I have a LAMY 2000 is because Neil Gaiman used one to draft his novels. I’ve also written with Vim to emulate George Martin’s preference for Wordstar.

But now that I’ve decided to stop blindly going down the path of tool-collecting, I’ve found myself gravitating towards simpler and cheaper options. Enter the pencil.

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Sick And Tired Of Writer’s Block? Then Try These 6 Quick Writing Tips.

/ Stuart Danker / 74 Comments

Someone typing on a brown classic typewriter

I don’t believe in writer’s block. That’s right, I said it, the words of an ex-journalist that had this term banished straight from his soul through the involuntary administering of deadlines.

Editor just gave you a one-hour assignment? You better have the finished product by then, even if it includes quotes and facts from people you haven’t called.

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How To Write Badass Posts, Even When You Can’t Find The Time

/ Stuart Danker / 62 Comments

A clock, pen, notebook, and mobile phone, all in white

I’m probably not as busy as most of you on here, but recent obligations have been eating away at my writing time.

And these surprise attacks come from all angles too. Maybe a mentee needs an entire day’s worth of guidance. Or maybe the weeds have grown uncontrollably in the garden. Or maybe it’s work on the weekends.

Either way, my adult life is an insatiable blob that only has an appetite for my leisure time. And thus I’ve found myself having to sneak in little pockets of writing time throughout the day instead of having a dedicated hour like I’m used to.

But that’s a small problem for me, right? After all, I did put up this post about micro-writing, so all I need to do is just write, right?

As it turns out, it’s not the writing that’s the problem. It’s attention.

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5 Reasons Why It’s Silly To Complain About Crappy Writing Pay

/ Stuart Danker / 41 Comments

Beggar with a sign that says Hungry

I’ve always been indifferent to lower-than-average pay, especially when it comes to freelance writing. The people in my local writer’s group aren’t as blasé about it, however.

“You should stick to your principles,” they’d say. “Value your writing and someday others will too.”

They have a hatred for writers who take on low-paying gigs, as if that were the reason for dwindling market rates.

Wanna know what I think though? I think that every writer has their own path to pave. If it’s by waiting for a client to miraculously offer you the perfect rates and terms, then more power to you. But some writers resort to places like Fiverr, and they shouldn’t be ridiculed by their choice either.

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Pleasure Or Gratification? Which One Brings More Joy Into Your Life?

/ Stuart Danker / 50 Comments

Pleasure Food - Obi Onyeador

What do doughnuts, sex, and cocaine have in common? They’re pretty danged pleasurable, that’s what.

How about the post-workout high, acing the exams you’ve been studying hard for, and finishing the first draft of your novel? Awesome too, right?

Most of us would lump all of the above under happiness, and rightfully so, but there is a certain distinction between the two (which we’ll be exploring shortly).

We’ve all heard this before: delayed gratification is better than instant gratification. But why? Why is snorting coke off a stripper’s bum not as good as eating salad and working out?

And that, ladies and gentlemen, brings us to the question of pleasure versus gratification.

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