Word count: 373 words Reading time: Just over 1 minute A great way to improve your writing skills 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 the novel Capital, by John Lanchester. I hadn’t heard of John Lanchester (pictured above) but my […]
Even his tallness appeared a form of ease… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I read widely, watch movies and listen to the radio. In today’s post you’ll see an interesting piece of figurative language I’ve encountered recently. It’s by Elizabeth Renzetti. My daily newspaper is the Globe and Mail. In last Saturday’s edition, I read an amusing piece by Elizabeth Renzetti on
The figurative language of Elizabeth Renzetti… Read More »
Word count: 283 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: machicolated. I can’t remember where I collected the word machicolated. I think it must have come from a reader because I can’t fathom
What does machicolated mean? Read More »
Word count: 700 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do you suffer from writing shame? Even if you’re not aware of it, it may be the secret monster that’s sapping your writing strength…. When I was 10 years old, one summer morning I remember standing at my kitchen door, talking to a neighborhood pal
How to overcome your writing shame Read More »
Word count: 332 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 the idea of quiet writing. I spend much of my life reading about writing. Few essays capture the
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Word count: 316 words Reading time: Just over 1 minute A great way to improve your writing skill is to emulate the work of others. That’s why, every week, I present a sentence that I’d happily imitate, this one from the book Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie. I received the book Joseph Anton for Christmas
There was a small enclosed space at the centre of his being Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I read widely, watch movies and listen to the radio. In today’s post you’ll see an interesting piece of figurative language from Joni Mitchell I’ve encountered recently. I still haven’t read any of Zadie Smith’s popular books, such as White Teeth, On Beauty or The Autograph Man, although I’ve had
The figurative language of Joni Mitchell… Read More »
Word count: 243 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: caparisoned. I was enjoying a coffee with a friend recently and she mentioned the book The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. Despite having been
What does caparisoned mean? Read More »
Word count: 716 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do you make new year’s resolutions every year? Do any of them relate to writing? Here’s my advice for turbo-charging your resolutions. I’ve never smoked. Even as a sullen, rule-breaking, hitchhiking teenager, I never even tried it. I say this not to brag – more
How writing is like quitting smoking Read More »
Word count: 348 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 write about the book The Political Speechwriter’s Companion. When I wrote about Robert Lehrman’s New York Times article on speechwriting,
Getting help from the Political Speechwriter’s Companion Read More »
