Reading time: About 2.5 minutes Are you a writer who wishes you were more creative? Maybe you’re wishing for the wrong thing…. People often have the totally wrong idea that they need to have been born creative in order to write. While being born certain ways can help your writing a lot — being born […]
Why you shouldn’t fret about the creativity thing… Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a simile from Garth Stein. I can’t remember who recommended the book The Art of Racing in the Rain to me. I knew it was about a dog and I’m more of a
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Reading time: About 1.5 minutes Increase your vocabulary and you’ll make your writing much more precise. That’s why I provide a word of the week. Today’s words: trochee and spondee. When I was in university, I was invited to join the honours program in English and Political Science. The trouble was, I couldn’t do both.
What do trochee and spondee mean? Read More »
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
What is misprision? Read More »
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
5 ways you probably mismanage your time Read More »
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 »
