Word count: 363 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. Today’s comes from Tobias Wolff. I’ve worshipped the writing of Tobias Wolff (pictured above) ever since I read his memoir This […]
He thought it when he saw the three women together Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. Today I discuss a metaphor that Jill Lepore offers in the New Yorker. I didn’t know that Benjamin Franklin had had seven sisters! Somehow, they faded into the dark recesses of history, while the image of
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Word count: 269 words 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: picaresque. I don’t typically look at either Time Magazine or Macleans. But there I was, sitting in a doctor’s office, searching for something to read
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Reading time: About 3 minutes Most people don’t deliberately do things wrong. But if you really thought about it, what would you try to do differently? I admit it. I borrowed this column idea (and headline) from someone else. Her name is Penelope Trunk. I read her blog weekly and I appreciate her brash style,
Writers: are you making bad decisions (like me)? 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 written by novelist Silas House… I’ve not yet written any fiction, although I’ve contemplated the idea.
Give them what’s in a character’s brain… Read More »
Word count: 280 words Reading time: Just over 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. Today’s comes from Ruth Ozeki and her novel A Tale for the Time Being. I read Ruth Ozeki’s latest
Her fingers press against the rag surface of her dream… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. Today I present an image from novelist Linda Spaulding. I’m not sure I fully understand the bubble-bath of praise in which Linda Spalding is reclining. Her book, The Purchase, won the 2012 Canadian Governor General’s
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Word count: 202 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: bespoke. My husband and I had a dinner party last weekend and the word bespoke came up during conversation. Our daughter asked what
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Word count: 748 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes If you’re looking for the secret formula to making writing easier, it’s time to give mindmapping another try… I was speaking at a conference several years ago and talking about mindmapping. (If you don’t know what mindmapping is, check out one of my previous columns
Why you should try this magic bullet for writers Read More »
Word count: 314 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 written by Lee Gutkind. When my coaching students tell me they have a writing problem, I
