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 blog post by Seth Godin… If you need to improve your writing you might think about improving your reading. The fastest, least […]
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute In the face of some serious hacks, here’s what you can do to improve your own password security… When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had his social media accounts hacked earlier this month you probably knew it was time to get serious about your computer security. That fact was underscored a
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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 Melissa Hill… I’m glad to be in my 50s rather than my 20s. This thought crosses my mind frequently, as it did when I read the article “Can Tylenol
Calmed by the metronome of his heartbeat… Read More »
Reading time: Just over 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: forfend… I don’t think I had ever encountered the word forfend before reading a delightfully snarky Gail Collins column in the May 26/16 New York Times. Under the
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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 new summertime feature in the New York Times… Back when I worked in the newspaper business, I learned the practice of
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I feel as though I’m often whining — or at least complaining — about poor customer service or bad crisis communications. Let me change that by telling a good news story… This story relates to my dentist. I had an appointment not long ago, and was racing through the tasks of
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Reading time: Just over 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a piece of personification from Kent Haruf… I just finished reading the sweet and lovely novel, Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf (pictured above.) The story of pair of senior citizens — a
Old tractors muttering up the street… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Several readers recently asked me how to eliminate the verb ‘to be’ in their writing. Here’s how… When Hamlet moaned, “to be or not to be, that is the question” he was actually reflecting the dark thoughts of many overworked editors. Writers frequently use the verb “to be” more
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Reading time: Less than two minutes 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 by Michael Nobbs…. Do you fail to write because the task seems too big or too daunting to you? I see this
Why you should rein in your big, hairy audacious goals… Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute What do millennials really want? I can tell you they’re not interested in rocks… My son graduated from the University of BC this week. It was thrilling to see him cross the stage and accept his diploma (B. Mus.) — all the more so because he is dyslexic. For
UBC rocks — but not in a good way Read More »
