Each week for a little over a year, I’ve been recording a little podcast and video. It’s called “60 Seconds of Johanna’s Writing WIP.” I’m doing this as an experiment for two reasons: Market the writing before I publish it. (Yes, the “launch” is a form of marketing, but I’m also planning to experiment with […]
My Q3 2024 writing workshop is now open for registration. The workshop is based on my bestselling book, Free Your Inner Nonfiction Writer. You’ll learn how to write faster and better by integrating thinking and learning as you write. Even better, you’ll learn how to postpone editing until you’re done explaining the ideas. Yes, effective
After I delivered a talk about product management, Fred, a prospective writer, asked a question. He said, “It seems like there are no new ideas. How can I write something that’s already been done before?” I said, “Write your truth, your experiences. Don’t worry about what’s come before.” He said, “But someone already wrote that.”
I read a lot online. And I love it when writers offer me subheadings to break up the content into consumable chunks. But not every writer does that. When writers don’t use subheadings, I have to work to grasp the key ideas in the piece. The more text between subheadings, the less likely I will
Do you want to improve your nonfiction writing skills? I offer a 6-week writing workshop to do just that. You’ll learn how to write faster and better, all while educating, influencing, and entertaining your readers. (That’s a big part of how you sell your nonfiction ideas.) You write. I offer you specific feedback on your
Want to write better and faster and with more ease? Register for the Q1 2024 Free Your Inner Nonfiction Writer workshop. That page has all the details. Free yourself from all the old rules that prevent you from writing fast and well. Never have the blank page problem. Instead, create ease with your writing. You
If you read this blog or my newsletter, you know I enjoy both nonfiction and fiction writing. I have another short story as part of the 2023 Holiday Spectacular: Underdog Party. The week is over. Please see the WMG Holiday Spectacular 2023 project for all the other stories and to buy the books when they
A French writer bought Free Your Inner Nonfiction Writer and wasn’t sure what I meant by a “fieldstone.” He couldn’t find a translation that made sense to him. In Weinberg on Writing, Jerry explained fieldstones as a way to build a piece of writing, just like masons used blocks to build stone walls. The more
If you read this blog or my newsletter, you know I enjoy both nonfiction and fiction writing. I have a short story as part of the 2023 Holiday Spectacular: A Dreidel Ball Miracle. Copyright © 2023 by Johanna Rothman The week is over, so the only way to see this story now is to participate
I’m finishing the Project Lifecycles book. Last week, I realized I made several mistakes: It was past time to ask for people to write praise quotes. I had only asked men to write praise quotes. Neither of these was a disaster, but they were embarrassing. Especially since Bob Sutton had posted this, and I replied