Reading time: Less than 1 minute Increase your vocabulary and you’ll make your writing much more precise. That’s why I provide a word — or, today, phrase — of the week. Today’s phrase: Tarpeian Rock…. Two years ago, I stood near the Tarpeian Rock, and I didn’t even know it was […]
What is the ‘Tarpeian Rock’? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes Are you one of the non-native English speakers who’s afraid of writing. Don’t be scared. And don’t think that focusing on grammar is the answer. Here’s what you should do instead… I’m a debate coach at my local high school and a great many of my
7 ways non-native English speakers can improve their writing Read More »
Reading time: Less than 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 some new scientific research on one of the surprising benefits of reading… I
The most impressive of the benefits of reading Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute Could you improve the quality of your work? Consider the novel suggestion that you stop paying so much attention to what others think… Do you care too much about what others think of you? A recent blog post by Derek Sivers (pictured above) caused me to reflect on
How to improve the quality of your work Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of similes and metaphors from Sara Baume… When I finished the very fine novel Spill, Simmer, Falter, Wither earlier this month, I was electrified by the
The figurative language of Sara Baume… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute Increase your vocabulary and you’ll make your writing much more precise. That’s why I provide a word of the week. Today’s word: hotchpotch… I picked up the book Spill, Simmer, Falter, Wither by Sara Baume on the shelf of my local library mainly because it was
What’s a ‘hotchpotch’? Read More »
Reading time: About 4 minutes Looking for some recommended books in time Christmas gift-giving? Here’s my semi-annual roundup — this time of books I’ve read since June. I aim to read 52 books every 12 months and my habit is to post the names of them for you, twice a year.
Recommended books: Winter 2016 Read More »
Reading time: Less than 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 the Brain Pickings website… I’ve longtime been a fan of the website Brain Pickings — what owner/curator Maria
Lessons from 10 years of Brain Pickings Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute Are you being undone by your own busy-ness? Here’s what some productivity experts have to say about the subject and what I have done to change my own working schedule as a result… Do you have any idea how busy you are? I know,
Is your busy-ness getting in the way of your work? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a simile and a metaphor from Andre Alexis…. I’ve always been more of a cat person than a dog one. I grew up with cats and I appreciate
The figurative language of Andre Alexis… Read More »
