Write With Ozzy

Category: Writing

  • My Growing Toolkit

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    Ozzy
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    Writers love tools, and I’m no exception. Sometimes, people who love their tools end up making tools of their own…

  • Your Process Is YOUR Process

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    Ozzy
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    Your process is YOUR process. It’s supposed to evolve and grow as YOU grow and evolve as a writer. Take what’s useful from others. Discard what isn’t. Build something that works for you—for your brain, your schedule, your life, and for this particular story.

  • Your Book Is Not Your Baby

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    Ozzy
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    Writing a novel is a labour of love, but it should be a love akin to that of a professional chef for the meals they make, not the love of a parent for a child.

  • The Myth of the Perfect Writing Space

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    Ozzy
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    Writers talk about these places like they’re magical keys. If only we had that space—perfect, private, uninterrupted—then the words would flow. It’s a nice fantasy. It’s just not true.

  • 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…

  • 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…