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 an interview with Leonard Cohen, who died last week at the age of 82….. I studied the poetry of Leonard Cohen […]
The ‘limited expression’ of Leonard Cohen… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute The prospect of human knowledge doubling may excite you or terrify you but be aware that it’s happening. Here is how smart writers might adapt to this prospect… I delivered another training workshop this week and, while waiting for my turn, I sat in the audience observing another presenter.
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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 metaphor from Peter Morgan. I am not what you’d call a monarchist. Nevertheless, I’m interested enough in the history of Queen Elizabeth II to have seen the movie The Queen (starring Helen
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Reading time: Less than 3 minutes How often do you write? If you’re not a professional your writing habits may be weak and flabby. Here’s why you should write every day… Here are three things you almost certainly do every day: Sleep Eat food Drink water And here are three you likely do (or are nagged
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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 the writing of Charles Darwin… It’s been decades since I even peeked at The Origin of Species by
Can you write like Charles Darwin? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute Schools and social media can be a toxic mix, as the Abbotsford school district learned this week… I went out of town to teach a workshop earlier this week. Following the event, I ended up having dinner with a school administrator. “Let me ask you this,” she said to me,
What happens when you mix schools and social media? 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 some personification from writer Olive Senior… Despite having several rave reviews on Amazon, the novel Dancing Lessons, by Olive Senior, hasn’t yet persuaded me to finish it. I find it too self-conscious and the characters
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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: feuilleton. I began my working life in the newspaper business so, honestly, I should have known what the word feuilleton meant. But when reader John Friesen sent it
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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 Robert Fulford article about writer’s block… Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, a recent piece in the National
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Reading time: Less than 2 minutes If you ever have to do a difficult media interview I urge you to follow one essential tip: embrace silence… I used to work for a daily newspaper. Mostly, I edited, but every once in a while, I had the chance to write. In those days, I didn’t enjoy writing
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