Reading time: Less than 1 minute Don’t let jargon cause you to make embarrassing typographical errors. Everything you write needs a proofreader, even if you can’t afford having a professional do it… I volunteer at my local high school, where I’m the debate coach. I love working with teenagers — I find their energy infectious. But […]
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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: soughing. I hadn’t heard of writer Richard Wagamese until a couple of years ago when a friend recommended his book Ragged Company. I loved this story of a
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Reading time: About 3 minutes Some writers feel as though they’re working in a black hole. Ask them the question, ‘Are you getting enough writing feedback?’ and they’ll answer with a resounding no… Back in my freelancing days, I used to write the occasional piece for national magazines. I didn’t really enjoy writing then (I
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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 written by Scott Young… I’m obsessed with helping others build the writing habit. Such a habit allows requires
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Reading time: Less than 2 minutes Do you ever encounter forms that are tough to read? It’s not your fault! The fault usually lies with the organization that developed the form… Is there anything more onerous than filling out government or bank documents? (I think not.) A neighbour reminded me of this issue recently, when
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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 Logan Hill. I started watching the TV show Mad Men rather late — at least a year after the series had begun in 2007. Impressed by the acting, the set design, the
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Reading time: Less than 6 minutes Even if you don’t know exactly how many words you can produce in an hour, here’s how to write faster… Ask a bunch of journalists or professional writers how many words they can produce in an hour and you’ll get a dog-pile of half-answers and creative guesses. I know because
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute Does your workplace take the time to discuss what you’re doing and how to do it better? Don’t ever underestimate the value of training. I held a one-on-one coaching session today with a PR writer from a large US-based corporation. Her employer had hired me to host a webinar
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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 simile from Jean Dominique Bauby… The 1998 memoir The Diving Bell and the Butterfly won me over when I read it earlier this year. The book allows a French editor — in his own
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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: predella. I was recently in New York City where I satisfied a 25-year ambition: I finally managed to travel to Cloisters, a satellite of the Met. Located in
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