Heidi Croot

I’ve read three. Henrietta sticks with me. Keeper.

Quiet Writing: Start with an Everyday Moment By Andrea A. Firth Early on in grad school, one of my mentors told me that I was a quiet writer. As one of the oldest in the cohort (I started my MFA program at 51), I was nervous about fitting in,…

Quiet writing...focuses on everyday moments, keen observation, details and imagery to demonstrate and investigate the human experience. It reads quiet but still carries the tension and conflict fundamental to good storytelling.~ @andreafirth.bsky.social
brevity.wordpress.com/2025/04/23/q...

One of the most enjoyable newsletters ever—and you get to meet a little horse who will steal your heart.

Another wonderful and hilarious newsletter!

Just-in-time advice. Thank you Dinty!

“Nature’s strange pairings”…for anyone looking for an enticingly unusual writing prompt

“Nature’s strange pairings”…what an interesting writing prompt that could be

#copyediting

Neatness counts:

Use "insure" to describe the business of betting that something awful and expensive will occur.

Use "ensure" to describe guaranteeing an action.

Use "assure" for bucking up someone's confidence.

Roughly speaking.

Wired is dropping paywalls for FOIA-based reporting. Others should follow As the administration does its best to hide public records from the public, Wired magazine is stepping up to help stem the secrecy

They're called public records for a reason. Starting today, WIRED will *stop paywalling* articles that are primarily based on public records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, becoming the first publication to partner with @freedom.press to offer this for our new coverage.

My husband has finally signed his latest watercolour, which reflects his photorealistic approach to art and his awe of nature and the animal kingdom. We’re off to get it framed tomorrow. It’s going to look great next to his mom and son cougars.

With thanks to @dintywmoore.bsky.social !

Nice! Did he whisper his name?

Barred Owl through the kitchen window. The juncos zooming around the feeders below him were unconcerned.

Hey, artists, in case you were wondering if your work matters: I'm a scientist working on climate change and biodiversity, and I would not be who I am today without The Lorax, The Secret of NIMH, Watership Down, The Last Unicorn, and The X-Files. I know I'm not alone. Thank you for all you do.

Terrific. Hope to see you in our inbox. Just send to the email in our guidelines, add Hey Heidi, and I’ll tag it. No rush.

Be still my fricking heart.

Maybe consider writing this up for The Brevity Blog. Check out our guidelines and see if it’s a fit. Reader takeaways are the key.

Moving Your Story from Inside to Out: On the Power of Writing to Feel By Steve Mathias A half-century back the essayist Joan Didion memorably said, “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means.” In a similar vein …

Writing to discover feelings and thoughts churning on the inside. Powerful piece by Steve Mathias at @dintywmoore.bsky.social brevity.wordpress.com/2025/02/21/w... #writingcommunity #authorscommunity #creativewriting #memoir #skywriters

Pete’s here!

Welcome Pete…from Canada. Been waiting!

The Writer’s Road to Creative Burnout Recovery Recover from creative burnout with these holistic strategies. Create space in your life to rebuild creativity and overcome writer's block.

Also on the subject of writer's block: easing yourself out of creative burnout @KMWeiland #skywriters www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/the-writers-... #writingcommunity #authorlife #creativewriting

Brevity’s Bright New Issue Our first issue of the new year explores Mealworms, Komodo Dragons, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, and Fifteen Facts About Zebras, and more. Issue 78 offers wonderfully concise and powerful ess…

Flash Nonfiction Time!
brevity.wordpress.com/2025/01/28/b...

Follow people you’re interested in and care about. Create a circle. Contribute to it.

Goes for families too

I’m listening to the audiobook now, purchased on Apple Books. I think I waited 4 seconds.

Well said. With you.

Works for me too!

Actionable advice from an excellent writer.

This makes it all worthwhile, plus the thrill of seeing a writer’s essay go live on The Brevity Blog. Thank you @caitlinjgorman.bsky.social .