Skip to content

A possible cure for writer’s block

By Matthew Dicks | December 22, 2015 | Comments Off on A possible cure for writer’s block

I have thankfully never suffered from writer’s block, but if you do, perhaps you could try this innovative means of writing in hopes of curing it: Write naked. I can’t say that his work was especially impressive that day, but he was putting words to the page, which apparently is a big deal to anyone…

Read More

I didn’t respond to a stranger’s unsolicited manuscript for 48 hours, so his angry response was probably justified. Right?

By Matthew Dicks | March 15, 2015 | Comments Off on I didn’t respond to a stranger’s unsolicited manuscript for 48 hours, so his angry response was probably justified. Right?

On Wednesday of this week, I received an email from someone who I don’t know. This is the entirety of his message, minus his name and the Word document that was attached. ___________________________ I play poker in las vegas, and not a week goes by that someone doesn’t say your the politest poker player.Poker is…

Read More

Taylor Swift teaches a valuable lesson to all content creators.

By Matthew Dicks | January 8, 2015 | Comments Off on Taylor Swift teaches a valuable lesson to all content creators.

If you haven’t seen Taylor Swift’s Christmas video, you should. It’s a lovely thing, but it’s also an exceptionally valuable lesson for anyone who creates content. Actors. Writers. Artists. Musicians. Designers. Anyone. Treat the people who make your work possible very, very well. My agent, Taryn, once told me that although she thinks I’m a…

Read More

Why does writing instruction so often suck?

By Matthew Dicks | August 24, 2014 | Comments Off on Why does writing instruction so often suck?

Slate’s Matthew J.X. Malady offers any number of reasonable answers to this question, but I think the answer is far simpler: Writing instruction at the elementary, middle, and high school levels is taught primarily by teachers who are not writers and do not engage in writing on a regular basis. Most teachers are readers. We…

Read More

“Where do you get your ideas?” is an understandable but impossible-to-answer question for authors. But “Nuns at Scout camp” will be one of my answers someday.

By Matthew Dicks | August 15, 2014 | Comments Off on “Where do you get your ideas?” is an understandable but impossible-to-answer question for authors. But “Nuns at Scout camp” will be one of my answers someday.

I’m often asked where I get my ideas for books, which is an understandable but impossible question to answer. There is no well of ideas. There is no secret formula. There is no one answer to that question, as much as fledgling writers seem to want there to be. Simply put, I hear something. I…

Read More