A writing and editing advice post that encourages self-awareness during the revision process. In “What Type of Editor Are You?,” Greg Luti discusses the importance of understanding your natural editing tendencies so you can strengthen your craft more effectively. The Most Important Question Before You Edit There is always advice that you hear about improving as a writer, but I think there is a basic question that can be addressed by a writer to help them with their writing be

A writing and editing advice post that explores the practical side of the creative process. In “Understand Your Tool,” Greg Luti discusses how choosing between typing and handwriting can affect both your creative flow and your ability to edit effectively. The Handwriting vs. Typing Debate There is a lot being said about the use of handwritten words that go on a piece of paper compared to typed words that go on a computer. The normal conclusion is that when you write with a pe

A writing and editing advice post that draws on wisdom from an unexpected source. In “John Lennon’s Advice on Writing,” Greg Luti explores the idea of finishing creative work during the initial burst of inspiration instead of delaying it in pursuit of perfection. John Lennon’s Advice on Finishing Your Work There are times when a person’s advice can stay with you longer than it should. The words they say are so damn profound you hang on to them, like an old photo. I am not eve

Writing prompts are a popular tool, but they’re not always the best way to generate ideas. In “How and When to Use Writing Prompts,” Greg Luti takes a closer look at the common advice around using prompts and explains when they can actually be useful versus when they might limit a writer’s ability to draw from personal experience. The Common Advice About Prompts Whenever I hear about writers using a prompt, the process is quite simple in that the site, or whoever gave the pro

A common piece of writing advice is to read constantly in order to improve. In “Who Did Homer Read?,” Greg Luti challenges that idea by looking at Homer, the ancient poet credited with the Iliad and the Odyssey, who may never have read a book at all — yet still became one of the most influential writers in history by drawing stories directly from the world and oral traditions around him. The Common Advice: Read More There is a bit of writing advice that I do agree with, and I

A common piece of writing advice is often too vague to be useful. In “Should You Just Write?,” Greg Luti critiques the popular “just write” mantra as unhelpful for most people and offers more practical guidance: choosing a specific topic to spark ideas, writing without the pressure to publish, and maintaining consistent daily practice to build real skill and flow. The Trite Advice: “Just Write” One of the most common pieces of advice you will hear writers give you is that the

A key piece of writing and editing advice is to focus on what works strongest in your story. In “Know What Works,” Greg Luti explains why you should identify and strengthen your best scenes, characters, and lines instead of trying to make every single part of your manuscript equally good. Not Every Part of a Story is Equally Great When I am editing someone’s novel or writing my own, there are parts of the novel that are a little bit better than others. I mean, let’s be real h