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: empirical. Of course I know the meaning of the word empirical. One of the foundations of science, empirical evidence refers to knowledge that is acquired through observation or experimentation. […]
What does empirical mean? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Today’s message may seem a little strange but you can learn how to write faster by going on holiday or at least by pretending that you’re going to… We went on the worst holidays ever when I was a kid. We had no money so we always had to camp.
How pretending you’re going on holiday can help you write faster Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute Do you ever ask yourself, ‘how flexible should I be with my writing?’ If you do, here’s my answer… I’ve just finished writing a story that had to be signed off by a host of people from the provincial government. Of course such stories can never be signed off by just
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Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a clever bit of personification from Anthony Lane. Is it possible to personify a person? I think it is, is if person is dead. And if the writer is Anthony Lane, the British
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Reading time: About 3 minutes Looking for summer book suggestions? I’m on track for reaching my year-end goal of reading 52 books and here is my semi-annual accounting that may give you some reading ideas of your own. My habit is to post for you the names of ALL the books I’ve read, twice a
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Reading time: About 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 written by New York Times science writer Carl Zimmer. What parts of our brains are working when we write? That question has fascinated me
What part of your brain does the writing? Read More »
Reading time: About 2 minutes If you’ve never heard of the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis, you’re not alone. It’s a relatively rare disorder but that doesn’t make it unimportant… I took part in the Scotiabank half marathon last weekend. Let me stress: I am not a marathoner or even a half-marathoner. I was participating in the
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 Calvin Trillin… I can no longer remember the first time I tasted fresh mozzarella but I think I was about 25. It was a life-changing moment. The freshness!
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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: paresis. I almost tried to write today’s post in rhyming couplets. This is because my word of the week comes from the marvellous rhyming novel Love, Dishonour, Marry,
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do you ever feel overwhelmed when you need to write? Here are some suggestions for how to improve your focus… As I write this column, I’m feeling overwhelmed. Why? I just said goodbye to a contractor who carved a hole in our dining-room ceiling. He was investigating a leak
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