Reading time: About 3 minutes We’re all short of time, so how on earth can we find the time to write? Here are some ideas… Last week I wrote about wasting time. Today, I write about finding it. While it’s certain that most of us have mind-manglingly busy lives, it’s also true that we can […]
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Reading time: About 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 verbs by novelist Karen Bender. I hadn’t heard of Karen Bender until I read her paean to verbs in
Reading time: About 2 minutes If you want some media coverage for your company or an event you’re organizing, read this quick primer on how to think like a reporter… Are you trying to get media coverage? The best piece of advice I can give you is to think like a reporter. From my own
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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 Forrest Gander. Like an unexpected guest at a dinner party, the very brief novel, As a Friend, by Forrest Gander, is a surprising read. I don’t normally like
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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: misprision. I can’t escape the notion that, every once in awhile, some authors use words to show off. I level this critique at James Lasdun, (pictured above), author
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Reading time: About 3 minutes It’s highly likely that you mismanage your time. We all do! But writing time is another matter entirely… I protect my writing time the way a mother bear guards her cubs. I write first thing in the morning and I refuse to check my email (or Facebook or Twitter or
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Reading time: About 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 New York Times columnist Susan Gubar. I had never heard of Susan Gubar before stumbling across a column
Living with cancer Read More »
Reading time: About 2 minutes People often say “you and I” when they really should be saying “you and me.” Here’s a quick explanation of the rule… Grammar is seldom taught in schools these days and most of us struggle to speak correctly – just as we struggle to lose 10 pounds after Christmas. I
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Reading time: About 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of metaphors written by Jennifer Egan. Jennifer Egan, author of the 2011 book Look at Me, is a master of metaphor. I’ve developed the habit of using little yellow sticky notes
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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: plectrumed. My family is intensely interested in music. My grandmother was a conductor, my aunt a concert violinist. My husband sings in a choir and my son is
What does plectrumed mean? Read More »
