Write With Ozzy

Category: Writing

  • 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…

  • Keep Your Promises

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    Ozzy
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    It’s your job to make sure the story you’re telling is the story you promised.

  • You Don’t Find Your Voice, You Build It

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    Ozzy
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    Writers talk a lot about “finding your voice,” like it’s some lost object waiting under the couch cushions. As if one day you’ll stumble across it fully formed—Ah, there it is! My voice!—and from then on, the words will flow perfectly. It doesn’t work like that. Your voice isn’t something you find. It’s something you build.

  • No One Will Love Your Book Like You Do

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    Ozzy
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    Readers can care deeply about your story. They can love it, be moved by it, recommend it to friends, reread it a dozen times. But their relationship will always be different from yours. For them, it’s a story. For you, it’s part of your life.

  • How Do I… (You Do The Work)

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    Ozzy
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    A lot of writers get stuck waiting for someone to give them the right tip, the perfect answer that will fix their story instantly. That doesn’t exist.