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 Emily Gould… I read Emily Gould’s novel, Friendship, under false pretences. Somehow I thought she was the daughter of Stephen Jay Gould, author of Ever Since Darwin and many other […]
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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: folderol. When I re-read the 1963 novel The Group, recently, I was struck by the notion that our collective vocabularies have become less rich over the last 50
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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 poem about the perils of spell checkers… My supremely irritating spell checker insists on “correcting” words that aren’t wrong. For example, whenever
Candidate for a Pulitzer Prize? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes Unless you live in Vancouver you may not be aware of the UBC presidential crisis that’s occurring right now. Even if you live here, however, the scale of it is hard to believe… I once made a bad hiring mistake. I was 20 years old, working at a weekly
Anatomy of a UBC presidential crisis… 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 Mary McCarthy… I first read the 1963 novel, The Group, by Mary McCarthy, when I was 20 years old. I remember enjoying it but recall no other details. Something
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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: cynosure… I’m always thrilled when readers suggest books I can read. About two months ago, Harry Herskovitz recommended to me In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar
What does cynosure mean? Read More »
Reading time: About 5 minutes Have you ever wondered how to build a style sheet? Has your boss ever asked you to create one? Here’s a straightforward guide on how to accomplish the task… I’ve long held the belief that good copy editors are born, not made. I’m a very good substantive editor — I understand how
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Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Can you write a good sentence? Try one for this cartoon and you could be the winner of it… If I had a dollar for every person who told me they had “no writing talent,” I could treat myself to a no-expense-spared trip to Manhattan. I won’t subject you
Write a great cartoon caption and win a piece of art… 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 blog post about libraries and librarians… I love libraries. My love affair began when I was an 8-year-old and a teacher
If librarians were honest… Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute Are you aware of all of the perils posed by blue light? The biggest danger may be to your sleep…. Occasionally, I have to work late. And, on some evenings, I like to unwind with an hour of television. At other times, I need to check my cellphone for
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