Reading time: Less than 1 minute A picture is worth a thousand words, as the expression has it. So is a sign in a window…. There’s a store not far from where I live. It used to be a corner grocery, but it was either sold or rebranded as a produce […]
Dear valued customers…. 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 metaphor from Ruth Pennebaker. Both my grandmothers and two of my aunts had breast cancer. I’ve stopped my endless to fretting about my risk, but I still
The figurative language of Ruth Pennebaker… 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: panoply. I’ve known for some years that the noun panoply means an impressive array or collection of things. For example, you might have
What does “panoply” mean? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 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
Recommended books: winter 2015 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 an article on how to beat procrastination with advice from psychologist Alexander Rozental…. Many Most writers suffer
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Reading time: Less than 2 minutes This idea may sound obvious but you’d be surprised to learn now many people fail to do it: You need to start writing notes to yourself… This week I delivered a class on how to re-energize yourself after completing a big project. Although my
The benefits of writing notes to yourself… 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 from Helen Humphreys… I’m not typically a fan of “war” books but for some reason I’ve read two of them in the last few months and,
The figurative language of Helen Humphreys… 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: procrustean… Earlier this year I enjoyed reading A Story Larger Than My Own, a collection of essays (Janet Burroway, ed) that had been
What’s the meaning of the word procrustean? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes How do you improve creativity? Neuroscientists suggest that you embrace the concept of messiness. I can’t write if my desk is untidy. That’s why I obsessively jam everything into my large wire inbox so my desktop at least gives the appearance of being clean.
Is your mind messy enough for writing? 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 a New Yorker article written by George Saunders… I try to read the New Yorker every
A story should be honest, direct, loving, restrained Read More »
