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think action books aren't well written? think again?
3 Writing Lessons from Jack Reacher
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Todd Brison
1
is your writing even worth reading?
You don’t have writer’s block, procrastination, or imposter syndrome. You aren’t out of ideas. You haven’t pissed off the wrong muse. You’re scared to…
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Todd Brison
2
tragic death is no match for transcendent writing
It's a shame that early death is such good marketing. We remember the death. We forget the work. Kurt Cobain’s lyrics wilt next to his freshly fired…
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Todd Brison
2

March 2024

how to write one good sentence
Writing a sentence should be easy. “Jack ran.” See there? We’ve done it. Two words. Subject->verb. Kindergarten students do this. As the years go by, we…
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Todd Brison
2
We Writers Should Learn from This Oscar-Winner, Even If It Does Get Lost to History
Whether it was half-plagiarized or not, I adored The Holdovers. Vices. Hypocrisy. Secret motives. Each element of the screenplay — from plot to…
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Todd Brison
2
at least DMs can teach us something
Most DMs make me sick. The over-friendliness. The forced joke. The vague promises. At least when you get physical junk mail, there’s an envelope to…
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Todd Brison
Ralph Waldo Emerson's advice is still true for the modern writer.
180 years ago, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote the following: “Every excess causes a defect; every defect an excess. Every sweet hath it sour; every evil, its…
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Todd Brison
1

February 2024

ditch the stupid thesaurus already
Before I torch the thesaurus, a story: Last week, I stirred up a record amount of controversy on the daily email list by airing my (completely tame…
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Todd Brison
3
This Attack on MAGA Republicans is Irresistible
What Writers Can Learn About Building a Villain From Political Campaigning
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Todd Brison

January 2024

writing persuasively for dummies
A lie I once believed: “Todd, if you work hard and have great ideas, your writing will rise to the top.” This lie got me a long way. It got me to try…
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Todd Brison
No, your topic isn't boring. (If you write it well)
My front gate is currently barricaded by 6 inches of snow, so I should probably be writing some masterpiece. Instead, I’m rotting on the couch. Watching…
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Todd Brison
I dare you to read something with substance.
Why haven’t we updated literature like we’ve updated the Bible? One is supposed to be the irrevocable word of God. The highest Truth, dutifully…
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Todd Brison
© 2024 Todd Brison
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