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: maieutic… I wrote yesterday about Draftback — a fascinating piece of free software that will allow you to record your writing, keystroke […]
What does maieutic mean? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes If you’ve ever vowed to stop editing while you write, here’s a tool that will really make you want to keep that promise. Watch the video to see how writers waste time, editing while they write… Do you have difficulty writing your crappy first
How to see yourself in a writing mirror 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 a remarkable collection of references assembled by Maria Popova…. I have a particular interest in writers who
The collected wisdom of great writers Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes You’ve undoubtedly heard the expression ‘tempest in a teapot.’ Today I write about a crisis in a coffee cup. I’d missed the whole brouhaha over Starbucks’ ill-advised scheme to start a public discussion about race. Perhaps that’s because I’m Canadian and the program didn’t exist here.
Brewing a crisis in a coffee cup 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 Sebastian Faulks… In his interesting (albeit uneven) collection of stories and novellas, titled A Possible Life, Sebastian Faulks offers some particularly delicious figurative language. I
The figurative language of Sebastian Faulks… 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: sprezzatura… Many attribute God-like credentials to American writer John McPhee and hold his writing in awe. I do not. In fact, I find some of
What is sprezzatura? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes You may hate technology or love it but at least be aware of how the Internet is improving writing… I graduated from high school 40 years ago this June. (Yikes! Time doesn’t just fly. It’s rocket-propelled.) Back in this mesolithic era, teachers moaned about…
How the Internet is improving writing 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 written by Maria Popova…. I’m always impressed by the depth and sophistication that writer
In praise of the anti-scholar Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes Most of the news relating to Angelina Jolie and her recent surgery announcement focus, as they should, on Jolie’s health and bravery. But I think there’s another part to the story as well… A deep, murky well of cancer runs through my family. Both my
The real message from Angelina Jolie…. 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 Hannah Kent…. The fine book Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (pictured above) is being turned into a movie starring Jennifer Lawrence. I hope this will bring
The figurative language of Hannah Kent… Read More »
