Andy Unedited
Exploring Books, Life, and Writing
Talent is overrated. Hard work is undervalued. (Writers, take note.) That’s the message psychology researcher Angela Duckworth argues throughout her book Grit, a message she illuminates with varied stories and interviews. The combination of passion and perseverance (her definition of grit) is a much greater predictor of success than any innate ability. High school students …
For decades I have loved, reread, recommended, and extolled William Zinsser’s On Writing Well. He is wise, practical, enjoyable to read, and absolutely on target for new and experienced writers. While I have been dispensing writing advice for decades (to authors, in lectures, in writing), when I thought about doing a book on writing myself, …
When we talk about our faith, we may be thinking of beliefs, ethics, and worship. But what others hear, says Alan Noble, is our preferences. They see these as lifestyle choices we use to craft an identity—like jerseys of our favorite sports team, our vegetarian diet, or volunteering to tutor. What makes engaging others about …
Adam Grant made a huge mistake. Grant had the opportunity to invest on the ground floor of a revolutionary e-commerce enterprise. As he talked to the entrepreneurs, he discovered they had no experience in e-commerce, they were hedging their bets by not quitting their day jobs, and their decision-making process seemed interminable. He turned them …
At the beginning of Wired to Create, Scott Kaufman and Carolyn Gregoire dismiss the four-steps of creativity that Graham Wallas proposed a hundred years ago. Such a notion is just too simplistic, they say. I was interested in this because I make use of Wallas’s ideas in Write Better. And the authors have a point. …
Coming up with a great idea can be hard enough. Getting the idea adopted can be even harder. Why do some innovations change the world and others go nowhere? The reasons are many. In Originals Adam Grant highlights one factor in the story of the American suffrage movement. Lucy Stone launched the women’s rights movement …
How do you keep readers reading? How do you pull them through a chapter or article or blog without them getting bored or distracted? Fiction writers aren’t the only ones who can use a mystery to keep readers engaged. Nonfiction writers can also withhold a key piece of information—the whodunnit! It’s what I call the …
Years ago some Jewish friends invited us to their Seder meal for Passover. Their home was prepped and we, along with other Jewish and Gentile friends, enjoyed the full three-hour event. My wife, Phyllis, thought, what a great thing! Why can’t we share some of our Christian heritage in the same way? So began our …
How can you get a publisher’s attention when you are an unpublished writer only beginning to build a platform? Writers know editors and agents are looking for people who not only are good writers but who are well-known, are experts in their field, speak to hundreds, or get thousands of hits on YouTube. Is there …
Today marks the official release of my new book, Write Better. To give you a taste of what’s in store, here is an excerpt from the preface. Two of my sons, Phil and Dave, ran cross-country in high school. These grueling three-mile races were not on perfectly flat, machine-fabricated ovals but up hills, over ruts, …