Reading time: Just over 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about an image from novelist Claire Messud. The novel The Emperor’s Children published in 2006 and written by Claire Messud was one of my favourite books of the last five years. Smartly written […]
The figurative language of Claire Messud…. Read More »
Word count: 272 words 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: solipsist… I must have read the word solipsist dozens — if not hundreds — of times over the last 20 years. And I’ve never
What is a solipsist? Read More »
Word count: 703 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes We all need friends. Writers, perhaps, need them more than most. Read on to learn how you can join my writing community, at no charge… I’m lucky enough to have a group of bright and vigorous writing companions who are as interested in writing and
Please join my writing community…by commenting Read More »
Word count: 300 words Reading time: Just over 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 an article in the Huffington Post by Ella Frances Sanders….. My son learned the word schadenfreude (joy in
Finding the perfect word… Read More »
Word count: 229 words Reading time: Less than 1 minute A great way to improve your writing is to emulate the work of others. That’s why, every week, I present a sentence that I’d happily imitate. I write today about one produced by Canadian novelist Don Gillmor. I’ve been a longtime believer in the magic
A fountain of money that shot out of the ground… 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 couple of very funny metaphors about actor Mandy Patinkin. I’ve been a Mandy Patinkin fan for almost 20 years. I first saw the actor on the TV show Chicago Hope but
Figurative language about Mandy Patinkin… Read More »
Word count: 237 words 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: potemkin. If you’d asked me about the meaning of the word potemkin, three weeks ago, all I’d have been able to tell you
What does potemkin mean? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes It’s always hard to find enough time for all the things we want to do. But somehow it’s extra-difficult to find writing time. What, then, is the best time to write? I was born a night owl. I used to think 2 am was the perfect bedtime and I resented
When is the best time to write? Read More »
Word count: 271 words 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 an article written in 2001 by the late Elmore Leonard. It embarrasses me to admit that I’ve never read
Lessons from Elmore Leonard… Read More »
Word count: 380 words Reading time: About 1.5 minutes A great way to improve your writing is to emulate the work of others. That’s why, every week, I present a sentence that I’d happily imitate. I write today about one produced by Matthew B Crawford. One of my readers (so sorry — I can’t remember
A perfectly fit mortise… Read More »
