life

How Running Is Like Writing, And Why You Should Embrace Them Both

/ Stuart Danker / 112 Comments

Woman running on a foggy day

Six years ago, I wrote a post connecting the two wonderful worlds of writing and running, and a lot has changed since then.

For starters, I’ve actually maintained a steady schedule for more than a year now, compared to the sporadic posts I used to put up when I was ‘in the mood’. Also, I’ve started running a lot more.

That’s why I feel that I’ve garnered the necessary experience to revisit this topic, which means you get to be the judge on whether or not I’ve actually grown in the past six years.

So scroll ahead and enjoy version two of this post. Go on. Run along now.

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Just Some Writerly Things The Writer In You Will Understand

/ Stuart Danker / 174 Comments

A redheaded woman at a cafe with her laptop

So you’ve chosen to be a writer.

That means getting to know procrastination on a more intimate level. That means learning to doubt your work. Also, that means checking the word count after every couple of sentences.

But there are many other things that bind us all. We writers don’t need to stick together. We already do, through the weird things that make us uniquely ‘us’.

So how many of these writerly things apply to you?

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Here Are 3 Simple Perspective Shifts That Will Inspire A Better Life

/ Stuart Danker / 63 Comments

Girl laughing in front of graffitied wall

Do you ever feel differently towards a problem depending on your mood?

I have. Take, for instance, my writing process. My attitude towards the blank page changes along with my mindset, most prominently before and after exercising. Ditto pre- and post-alcohol as well.

But the circumstances themselves don’t really change, do they? Only your point of view does. It’s a miracle, really, how difficulties can change just with a slight shift in perspective.

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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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