Bob Brooke Communications

07/31/2025

Serious writing isn't a shared experience. While you don't need to go off to a cabin in the woods, it's important to close the door and tell your family you don't want to be disturbed. Because writing isn't a physical activity, most people don't understand that the work involved is mental.

Author Tiffany Jenkins shares five essential reasons why writers need privacy to truly be successful with their writing goals.

02/24/2025

is a balancing act. You've got to approach as a or you're sure to fail. And businesses keep regular hours and establish a for everyday work. Mine were 9 to 5. After 5 PM my time was my own. I followed these 10 tips for maintaining that balance.

Author Deanna Martinez-Bey discusses self-care for writers, specifically on balancing productivity with mental well-being. Includes 10 practical self-care tips to help writers stay refreshed, inspired, and ready to tackle their next masterpiece.

12/19/2024

I started my career six years before my first article was published. While working a full-time teaching job, I wrote on Sunday afternoons and early evenings during the week. This continued for 10 more years before I finally took the leap to full-time freelancing. Nothing in writing happens quickly. In this case patience was definitely a virtue.

Author and editor Caroline Wolff shares her top five tips on pursuing your writing while holding down a 9-to-5 job.

06/28/2024

This list contains things writers should never do. And based on my 40+ years writing, they're spot on.

Former Writer's Digest managing editor Zachary Petit shares his list of 15 things a writer should never do, based on interviews with successful authors as well as his own occasional literary forays and flails.

06/20/2024

The reader is the most important member of the writing process. It doesn't matter what you have to say. It only matters that it engages the reader---in this case an editor.

Editor and publisher Marc Berley shares how to make your writing stand out to an editor.

02/07/2024

is one of my favorite writers. He was born on this day in 1812. Dickens' “ ' is said to have been inspired by this shop, which he lived near on Portsmouth Street in . Although this image was taken between 1895 and 1910, the shop is still standing.

01/08/2024

The tips listed in this article are all good. But the one that stands out is to set aside your finished piece of writing for a day to several days, so when you look at it again, you see it with fresh eyes. I've practiced this during my writing career with great success.

Author Renita D'Silva shares her list of 12 dos and don'ts for writers who are just starting out (and also a reminder for some writers who have been at it for a while).

12/28/2023

Joining a isn't for everyone. But it may be for you in 2024. See if any of those suggested in this article might fit you.

Writing organizations are a great way for writers to build community, connect with other like-minded writers, and get other perks. Find here 29 writing organizations for writers to check out.

12/25/2023

While this letter was written at the end of 2020, the thoughts behind it remain the same. Throughout my 35+ year career, I asked myself several times if I should continue. Then I asked myself," What about all the effort I've put in so far?" If you're having problems coming up with ideas or the words to flesh hem out, then maybe it's time to try a different type of writing. If you write , why not try or vice versa. Write a or a or even your . But do something different. I've written mostly nonfiction during my career. But when times got tough I tried fiction. That led me to an entirely different style of writing in what's called creative nonfiction, in the style of Truman Capote and others I writers I studied. My regular nonfiction changed---it got more lively and intense, with lots of details. Eventually, I wrote a book about shipwrecks that's still selling. Work through the tough times. You may find that it will elevate your writing in a whole new way.

In a time and year that has been hard on so many in a variety of ways, more than a few writers have found their creativity dry up. Some have even asked if they are or should be writers moving forward. This open letter is addressed to all such writers.

12/19/2023

was released 180 years ago today, in 1843. had a clear idea as to how the book should look. His publishers were not convinced that the book would be a success, so he covered some of the publication costs himself. The initial print run of 6,000 sold out, over which Dickens wept, laughed, and wept again, exciting himself in the most extraordinary manner, much like his main character . The book has never been out of print since.

12/15/2023

One of the most important things about writing for a living is believing in yourself. Only you know if what you're writing is good enough. And don't, under any circumstances, let an editor tell you otherwise.

Copywriter and content manager Kaitlin Harvey discusses the importance of self-belief and compassion for writers and editors, including why razing writing is easier than raising writing and the writers that write it.

11/28/2023

Freelance writer and award-winning author C. Hope Clark shares a comprehensive list of the basics of jumping into freelance writing, from finding gigs to managing expenses and more.