The heart of a well-organized writing project is an outline.

This is a surprisingly controversial statement. I know many writers hate working with an outline, and for creative projects, their reluctance is understandable.

But for team writing, some kind of outline — even if it’s just a basic set of bullet points — is essential.… Story continues … “Three ways to write an outline — plus one that is better than all the others”

I’ve been doing a lot of freewriting lately, taking inspiration from creativity teachers like Natalie Goldberg, Julia Cameron, and Lynda Barry (Lynda Barry! is! amazing!).

The idea is that you sit down with some blank pages in front of you and just start writing, either for a set amount of time (10 or 15 minutes) or until you’ve filled up a certain number of pages (2 or 3).… Story continues … “How to start a writing project (with a team)”

Most people think of writing as a solitary activity undertaken by lone geniuses operating under various degrees of inspiration and sheer tenacity.

But business writing is not usually the expression of a single individual’s talent — it is generally, and often by definition, the expression of an organization’s collective intention.… Story continues … “The POWERS process for effective writing”

In 2005, Princeton University philosopher Harry G. Frankfurt published a book that holds the key to understanding much of what’s going on in the 21st century. On Bullshit pulls no punches, right from its opening line: “One of the salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit.”… Story continues … “Lies, damn lies, and GenAI”

I’m thinking about a storyline that has come up multiple times this summer: How the mere existence of AI sows distrust.

If I were pitching a news story or crafting a PR pitch relating to AI, I’d think about how to tie it into this unfolding broader storyline.… Story continues … “Storyline: Deepfakes and deep mistrust”

When searching for a name for this newsletter, I kept returning to “Storylines” because I felt like it reflected the essence of my work.

My favorite jobs have been ones where I help a client find their storylines and define them in a crisp, compelling, resonant way.… Story continues … “What is a storyline?”

I jumped into a writing career right out of college because I was jazzed about the potential for self-expression, and because I was getting hooked on the rush of seeing my work appear in print.

From the first cartoon I had published (in Cricket magazine, when I was 10 years old – I wrote about that formative experience here), to youthful letters to the editor of my local paper, to articles I wrote for the high school newspaper and, later, college publications: All of these instances of publication were moments of validation for little Dylan.… Story continues … “Embracing the Zen of collaborative writing”

In today’s writing circle, fellow writer Alicia asked me if I had just recently launched my newsletter. 

“No,” I said, “I’ve been publishing it in one form or another for about 20 years.”

In fact, when I looked at the archive, I realized that I’ve been publishing a newsletter for over 25 years.… Story continues … “25 things I learned in 25 years of newsletter publishing”