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 Cal Newport blog post about the frustration of thinking… Even though I have no interest in math or computing sciences, […]
How to make thinking more exciting Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes Did you develop a list of new year’s resolutions yesterday? Not me! I’m sticking with rituals for 2015. Welcome to 2015. If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you may remember that I’ve given up on the idea of new year’s resolutions. But I welcome rituals. Here, then,
My new rituals for 2015 Read More »
Reading time: Just over 2 minutes When making your holiday plans, think about the neuroscience of willpower and writing before taking your break… I’m a sucker for free shipping. In fact, that’s why there’s never any shipping charge for my own book. So, when I bought a bunch of Amazon titles for Christmas recently, it thrilled me to realize I
Holidays, writing & the neuroscience of willpower 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 joint event by Joan Didion and Vanessa Redgrave… It took me 18 months to screw up the courage to read Joan Didion’s
Blue Nights by Joan Didion gets new life… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute If you’ve ever felt that you can’t afford a copy editor, here’s a suggestion that may work for you. Copy editors — people who fix spelling and grammar mistakes and double-check dates — are not expensive. Especially when you consider the cost of the material your company is publishing. How
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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 host of metaphors from Lorrie Moore… The coming-of-age story of a young woman in the ’70s, in upstate New York, Who Will Run the Frog Hospital is a novel by Lorrie Moore that
The figurative language of Lorrie Moore… 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: prodome. In early November, I was in a panic. I resolve to read 52 books every year — and, in fact, I resolve more than that, because I
What does prodome mean? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Have you ever wondered how to fight perfectionism? I’ve battled it for many years. Let me share my strategy… Born into a highly competitive family, with a father — a writer — who believed his five children always needed to try a whole lot harder, I felt as if I
Why writers need to practice generosity 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 become a prolific reader… Everything I’ve read about Ryan Holiday should cause me to dislike him. He takes
How to become a prolific reader Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes We all need at least one decent grammar reference book for our shelves. My recommendation? The Transitive Vampire… I’ve never fancied myself as much of an expert on grammar. I hated the subject as a school child and I learned it only reluctantly as an adult. But I was blessed with
My favourite grammar reference book Read More »
