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 video featuring author Elizabeth Gilbert….. I watch TED talks all the time but only recently […]
See how TED curates author videos Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute There’s an art to saying you’re sorry. Here are some guidelines for how to apologize… I had an important interview scheduled for this week, but the person’s Executive Assistant emailed me to re-schedule it. The new time she suggested wasn’t convenient for me — I had
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 and a simile from Celeste Ng… I don’t typically read mysteries or thrillers but I’m always willing to make exceptions when something literary crosses my
The figurative language of Celeste Ng Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes I’m guessing that most aspiring writers have never been serious figure skaters. Here’s why you might have more in common with that type of athlete than you imagine… Should there be a publication ban on the names of all defendants and victims in criminal
Why writing is like figure skating Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute Sometimes writing seems hard and complicated and thankless. But when such feelings seek to overwhelm you, remember the advice of Neil Gaiman and simply make good art… As we approach another season of university commencements I’m drawn again to the very wise words of
Reading time: Less than 1 minute When I’m editing material for clients, here’s the most common mistake I see: they haven’t set a consistent style for headlines and subheads. If your headline doesn’t follow a proper style, your publication won’t look professionally edited. What do I mean by that? Well, there are
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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 simile from Ben McGrath… I was serious about canoeing as a young person. The high point of my life, when I was 16 years old, was an 80-mile
A monologue as unstoppable as a river… 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: coruscating… I briefly worked for Conrad Black. Not face-to-face (thank goodness); he owned the newspaper chain where I was an editor. Black once controlled Hollinger
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Reading time: About 3 minutes When you write, do you begin by taking an inventory of all the stories you have at your disposal? Here’s why you should try to collect as many as you possibly can… Let me begin by telling you a story. It dates back to the
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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 late author John D. MacDonald… John D. MacDonald (1916 to 1986) was
Writing advice from John D. MacDonald Read More »
