HeyJaredThe Writer's Secret Weapon
The newsletter where creativity meets life, and you get more than tired writing advice. Isn't it time you got the help you need so you can have the success you deserve?
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- Jul 27, 2026
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- Jul 8, 2026
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In Chess, At Least They Tell You The Traps (opens the original)
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You put your pawn here, then they put a pawn there. Then your bishop goes over here. Then they move that other pawn. And behold, an opening named after a dead Russian. Memorize the next fifteen moves and maybe you won’t get smoked by a 14-year-old on the internet.In chess, openings define you. You get known for which ones you favor (English, Nimzo, Reti) and they’re mechanically learnable. You can research them, they have boundaries and steps.In publishing, a lot (and maybe too much) of emphasis
Writing down thinking (opens the original)
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Welcome back to the Writer’s Secret Weapon. I’m John, it’s nice to see you again. If you’re new here, I’m a writing coach and developmental editor and this is where I talk about writing in ways you won’t find elsewhere.It’s so often the simple things that trip us up as writers. We’re people prone to over-thinking, to over-worrying, to assuming that something can’t be as easy or straightforward without there being some kind of catch or trick.Like writing dialogue can’t possibly just be writing th
Creativity Is Not A Competition (opens the original)
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Welcome back to the Writer’s Secret Weapon. I’m John, I’m glad you’re here. Maybe you’re like me — blessed with a terrible competitive streak but double-blessed with a sense of inadequacy that tells you everyone will always be better than you by default.I can’t remember my first competitive experience. I assume it was probably a race on the playground, one spot to another. I’m pretty confident I lost in all things physical as a kid, I was the -est: smallest, slowest, weakest.That kind of thing s
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