Reading time: About 2 minutes Rod Baker firmly believes that rewriting is the single most important step of the writing process… The last full-time job Rod Baker held was as the executive director of a branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association. While he liked the work, he hated writing […]
Reflections on writing with Rod Baker… Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes If you ever struggle with feeling scatterbrained (and who doesn’t?), here are some practical and easy tips for you. Just two days remaining in your chance to join my next Get It Done program, starting August 1. It’s a popular three-month accountability group and writing
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Reading time: About 1 minute This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss a Guardian post on the challenges of book cover design…. Book covers — for the same book
The perils of book cover design Read More »
Reading time: Less than1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of similes from Chris Voss… A reader of my blog whose name I’ve managed to misplace (my apologies!) strongly suggested I read the book Never
The figurative language of Chris Voss…. Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Sonia Garrett says that if she can’t write, she can edit. And if she can’t edit, she can outline. And if none of that works, it’s usually because she needs more sleep. Sonia Garrett is the author of five middle-grade adventures: Maddie Makes a Movie,
Reflections on writing with Sonia Garrett… Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes There are lots of excuses but no good reasons. You need to learn how to write when you’re being interrupted… Want to finish your book, thesis or dissertation — or simply write significantly faster? Join my next Get It Done program: a three-month accountability group
The dog can wait: how to write when you’re being interrupted Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss a blog post about the topic of creative mistakes…. German scientist Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894) once
Are you making creative mistakes? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of metaphors from writer Samantha Harvey…. There is a pop star named Samantha Harvey, but I’m not talking about her. Based in the U.K.,
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Reading time: About 2 minutes Raw storytelling is what you get with the first draft, according to writer Bill Koch. Engaging storytelling requires revision… Bill Koch is a retired psychologist and clinical professor emeritus at UBC. He graduated from SFU’s Writers Studio in 2021. His fiction examines mental health, legal
Reflections on writing with Bill Koch… Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Instead of throat-clearing in writing, just encourage yourself to get to the point more expeditiously…. Someone sent me an email last week. The first paragraph was warm and friendly and ran to six sentences. Not one of them said anything. The writer was trying to
The line between courtesy and throat-clearing in writing Read More »
