Grab your whistle and prepare to draft and lead your creative dream team! Start by analyzing the combination of talents you need. I suggest: A wildly creative person who suggests crazy ideas that might just work. A practical big picture thinker to refine and shape these ideas. A detail person who knows how to make […]
Developing a Focus
You may spend years trying to find your writing focus without realizing you’ve done it until you’re well into it. And that’s wonderful! Don’t obsess over finding a focus when you’re young, because if you explore many fields, eventually a focus is likely to find you. Occasionally someone gets lucky early in life. One of […]
Calling All Digital Natives
This must be the Age of Aquarius! The White House has asked TikTok artists to craft messages for the propaganda war against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. TikTok? Seriously? This isn’t your grandfather’s CIA! This innovative approach also suggests an important service that you digital natives can offer people in your communities on the wrong side […]
Overcoming the Blank Screen
If your computer screen seems to be sticking its tongue out at you as you freeze up, turn it off and take a break. It’s the best way to fight Blank Computer Screen Syndrome, aka Writer’s Paralysis. First, think hard about your message and condense it into a couple of sentences. Next, post the message […]
Writing With the Ear
Write with your ears instead of your eyes. These eight words are a key to successful writing. Really. When you read copy aloud, your ear will catch excess words, awkward phrasing, and jargon that your eye misses. After you’ve read your copy aloud until it flows, you’ll be amazed how short and simple your final […]
New Year’s Resolutions
Looking for that next step up in your arts & entertainment career? In this column, Dr. Eileen Wirth shares everything she has learned about being a creative professional. At my gym, the “resolution people” are out in force. We regulars know that most will vanish by the end of the month. But I wasn’t always […]
What’s In the Boxes?
Looking for that next step up in your arts & entertainment career? In this column, Dr. Eileen Wirth shares everything she has learned about being a creative professional. Sara, a friend who has paused her high-powered tech career to spend time with her toddler, lamented to me that she can’t stop making to-do lists. “I […]
The Writer’s Voice
Looking for that next step up in your arts & entertainment career? In this column, Dr. Eileen Wirth shares everything she has learned about being a creative professional. If you’re a fiction writer, your “voice” may be the most important aspect of your work, according to Dr. Brent Spencer, an award-winning novelist who directs the […]
The Art of The Cover Letter
Looking for that next step up in your arts & entertainment career? Dr. Eileen Wirth shares how to write the perfect cover letter to get your foot in the door for that representation or creative industry job you’re eyeballing. When you write a cover letter, you’ve got four short paragraphs to: Introduce yourself and your […]
The Art of Rewriting
“I write s••••• first drafts.” I got this advice from my friend whose novels get reviewed in The New York Times. I urge you to incorporate his insight into following a writing process that both takes the sting out of rewriting and does wonders for combatting writer’s block. Begin by creating a “holding place” document on your […]