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 writers. Today I discuss the book Still Writing by Dani Shapiro….. I have already read most of the big-time books about writing: Stephen King’s On Writing. Natalie […]
Are you still writing? Read More »
Reading time: About 1.5 minutes Writing signage is one of the most challenging tasks facing many businesses (even if they don’t realize it.) Be sure to choose your words carefully! I’m seldom hired to consult on signage, but judging by the gaffes I’ve seen over the years, more organizations really ought to employ a professional.
Choose your words carefully — especially for signs Read More »
Reading time: About 1.5 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about two similes from American writer and psychologist Dan Shapiro…. I recently finished the marvellous non-fiction book Delivering Doctor Amelia by Dan Shapiro. A psychologist, the author describes his treatment of an obstetrician.
The figurative language of Dan Shapiro… 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: vitrine. It’s not often I stumble across a noun I find difficult to define (unless, of course, it’s a scientific name for an animal or plant.) But
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 writers. Today I discuss a New York Times article by songwriter Darrell Brown… I love the New York Times “Opinionator.” A daily essay, online, on a wide variety
Why you should lower your standards Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute When you’re writing arts marketing copy, don’t reach for hyperbole. You’ll make your audience suspicious when what you really want is for them to buy tickets… Hyperbole can be dangerous. All writers need to learn this principle and none more acutely than marketing writers. Here’s what made me think of
Nothing short of a miracle? 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 a simile from Laura Shapiro… As you may have sensed from some of my previous blog entries, I’m a big believer in home cooking. Thus, when I read a reference to
The figurative language of Laura Shapiro… 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: fungible. I’d heard the adjective fungible before but I’d never retained its meaning, perhaps because I’d never had cause to use it myself. I encountered it most
What does fungible mean? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes What do you do in December? Is it a party month for you? Or, like me, do you enjoy the chance to reflect and plan…. My worst December memory? Actually, I have two. 1) My parents owned a struggling weekly newspaper and one Christmas — the only time of
What are you doing with the rest of the year? Read More »
Reading time: About 1.5 minutes This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help writers. Today I discuss an article about science writing by Michelle Nijhuis… Believe me when I tell you I know nothing about science. I was an Arts student
Better science stories put results in context Read More »
