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, between them, they’ve been my […]
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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 given as a gift to
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. But my brain? I want
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 week. Most weeks I manage at
A story should be honest, direct, loving, restrained Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute Everyone who works for a company is responsible for effective communications… Communications goes by many titles. Sometimes it’s call PR, or public affairs or promotions. At other times it’s called the press office, customer service or even marketing. But whatever the title, it’s a category that all businesses needs to
Does your company have effective communications? 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 metaphors from Rachel Cusk. I wasn’t terribly impressed by the plot of the novel Saving Agnes by Rachel Cusk. The story of a young naive young woman, living in London with
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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: walleyed. While on holiday recently, I read the memoir Undress Me In the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman. The story of Gilman’s 1986 trip to China — which had then just
What’s the origin of the word “walleyed”? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 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 an article about a music and writing app called Focus@Will… I usually can’t bear to listen to music while I’m writing. I find
A little music while you write? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute Groucho Marx defined politics as “the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.” Many of the leaders in the recent Canadian federal election might be likely to agree… I am not a political consultant and this post will not share
What happened the day AFTER the federal election? 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 metaphors and similes from Kimberly Cutter. As a child I became obsessed with the Tudor family and with Joan of Arc. I’m not sure to what I should attribute this interest but I recall reading every possible
The figurative language of Kimberly Cutter… Read More »
