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 book written by Patricia Goodson… My favourite book for academic writers is They Say, I Say, […]
Exercises to help your writing Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute The challenge of slogan-writing should become clear when you listen to the genesis of the phrase: from showers to flowers… In listening to a podcast last week (apologies — I failed to remember the name of the podcast) I heard a politician reflect on a political message that had gone awry. The
From showers to flowers… 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 similes and metaphors from Stephanie Danler… Waitress and first-time author Stephanie Danler earned a jaw-dropping six-figure deal for her first novel, Sweetbitter. As a dedicated
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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: spline… Today’s word of the week comes not from my reading but from my husband. Yesterday we happened to be talking about a
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Usually, taking vacations means having less work. But my recent editing vacation has been highly productive… I write this column from British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast, in a little cottage overlooking the ocean. I’m alone and it’s blissfully quiet. Right now it’s a cool rainy day
Why I’m taking an editing vacation… 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 the writerly musings of E.B. White… I discovered E.B. White when I took English 100 more than
The writer’s duty: to lift people up Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute Proofreading seems like an unnecessary expense, until you have a large, embarrassing typo… I bear no ill-will towards the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. The conductor, whom I’ve run into at my dry cleaning establishment, is a charming man and the orchestra is highly skilled. But I bet
Is proofreading too expensive? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute Even though the Brexit vote is no laughing matter, columnist Frank Bruni managed to get some laughs and a clever extended metaphor out of it… The results of the recent Brexit vote have made me sad. A common European market gave the British economy
Figurative language from Frank Bruni Read More »
Reading time: About 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: roiling … I attended college at the very end of the 1970s. The place my children now attend — my own alma mater — seems vastly
What does ‘roiling’ mean? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you struggle with writer’s guilt? Don’t let it talk you out of writing. Use these ways to outwit it… I was not born a guilty person. I had impatience. Perfectionism. Even a titch of arrogance. But, somehow guilt always slid off of me like eggs out
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