Write With Ozzy

Author: Ozzy

  • What You Watch Can Shape What You Write

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    Ozzy
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    Stories aren’t only found in books. They’re on screens big and small, acted out with dialogue, visuals, pacing, and emotion. If you’re deliberate about how you watch, television and film can become part of your writer’s toolkit.

  • The Myth of the Big Push

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    Ozzy
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    The Myth of the Big Push Every writer has fantasised about it at some point: that glorious, uninterrupted stretch of time when you finally “catch up.” The long weekend. The holiday break. The retreat in a rustic cabin with nothing but your laptop, coffee, and a roaring fire. In this fantasy, you write like a…

  • Getting Over Your Humps

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    Ozzy
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    We talk a lot about writer’s block. About barriers. Walls. Brick-and-mortar barricades that loom in front of us until we either smash through them or give up entirely. Most of the time? It’s not a wall you’re facing. It’s a hump. A hump is smaller than a wall. It’s awkward. Uncomfortable. Sometimes ugly. But it’s not…

  • Writing Means Being Selfish

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    Ozzy
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    Let’s just say it up front: Writing means being selfish. Not cruel. Not careless. Selfish. Writing takes time. It takes attention. It takes energy you could’ve spent doing any number of “more useful” things—cleaning the house, helping someone move, replying to every message within three minutes. If you want to get serious about writing, you’re…

  • Stop Fixing; Start Finishing

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    Ozzy
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    There’s a writing community I’m part of that has a rule. Rule #1. Finish The Freaking Draft. (Respect to Hobo Dan who came up with this rule.) To be honest, the word used there isn’t “Freaking”… I’m sure you get the gist. It sounds obvious. Simple. Even a little bossy. But it’s the single most…

  • Metrics That Matter

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    Ozzy
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    “Words Per Day” vs. “Days of Words” Writers love to count. Word counts. Writing streaks. Minutes in the chair. Hours spent “researching” (an overly generous term, sometimes). And don’t get me wrong—metrics can be useful. But some of them do more harm than good. Take one of the most common: Words per day. The Trouble with…

  • 12 Hard Truths Writers Don’t Want to Hear

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    Ozzy
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    1. You’re not owed an audience. Writing something doesn’t entitle you to readers. Or feedback. Or fans. Or book deals. Readers are earned—through craft, consistency, and clarity. Publishing is easy. Building trust? That’s the hard part. 2. Your first draft is worse than you think. Even when it feels good. Even when you’re “in the zone.” The…

  • Inspiration Strikes at 9am

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    Ozzy
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    Writing Needs Routine More Than Romance W. Somerset Maugham famously said: It’s a joke, of course. But like many good jokes, it lands because it’s true. Most people misunderstand how creative work actually gets done. They imagine writers waiting for a flash of brilliance, for the muse to appear with a smirk and a cigarette…

  • Do You Need a Sensitivity Reader? (And How to Find One If You Do)

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    Ozzy
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    How do you know if your story would benefit from a sensitivity reader? Not to censor it. Not to sanitise it. To make sure it lands the way you mean it to. To make sure that you’re not misrepresenting a group of people. Here’s the thing: if you’re writing outside your own experience—and most of…

  • Your Day Job is a Stepping Stone

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    Ozzy
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    If you’re a writer with a day job, it’s easy to feel trapped. Every hour you give to someone else can feel like an hour stolen from your own words. You clock out tired, stare at the page, and wonder if you’re ever going to have enough time or energy left to make this writing…