Word count: 236 words Reading time: Less than 1 minute Each week I identify a sentence from my reading that I’ve found particularly effective. By emulating such writers at Tessa Hadley we can learn a great deal. I’ve written many times about why writers should avoid adjectives and adverbs and […]
A building that’s mournfully aloof…. Read More »
Word count: 176 words Reading time: Less than 1 minute Need help? Here I tell you about a piece of technology or software for writers. Every month I host a phone call for members of my Extreme Writing Makeover course. I LOVE this part of my job — it’s so
Does your focus need a booster? Read More »
Word count: 230 words Reading time: Less than 1 minute Building your vocabulary is always a good idea. It benefits your reading and it also helps you be more specific and precise in your writing. Here is my word of the week. I learned a new word this week: spraints.
What are spraints? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Karl Marx wasn’t the only person with a manifesto! We all have principles or writing tips that keep us grounded, organized and enthused. Here is my writing manifesto. I used to loathe writing. I found it both daunting and painful – kind of like going
My writing manifesto Read More »
Word count: 312 words Reading time: Just over 1 minute Need help? Here I tell you about a piece of software or a website for writers. Call me old fashioned but I’m a big fan of radio. Or, more correctly, a big fan of the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC)– our
Add some Spark to your life Read More »
Word count: 237 words Reading time: Less than 1 minute A great way to improve your writing skills is to emulate the work of others. Here is a sentence I read recently that I’d happily imitate. I’ve never been a huge fan of Ernest Hemingway. Perhaps that’s why it
The lack of him had moved in with me Read More »
Word count: 265 words Reading time: About 1 minute Building your vocabulary is always a good idea. It benefits your reading and it also helps you be more specific and precise in your writing. Here is my word of the week, fecklessly. Even a book you don’t like very much
What does fecklessly mean? Read More »
Word count: 637 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes How are you doing in the praise department? Are you getting enough? It’s something all writers need… I’m shopping for a Toastmaster’s group right now. This isn’t because I’m scared of public speaking and I’m not particularly bad at it. I
A writing lesson from Toastmasters Read More »
Word count: 279 words Reading time: Just over a minute If you’ve read my book, you’ll understand that I’m a zealot for readability statistics. These handy dandy numbers rate the readability of your writing. How do readability statistics work? Well, the various indices look at the length of words, sentences
Incredibly useful: readability statistics Read More »
Word count: 204 Reading time: Less than a minute Every Friday I present a sentence of the week I’ve discovered in my reading. Reading closely will help you become a better writer. I must fall into the 1% of the population that has never seen the James Cameron movie, The
How to craft a Titanic sentence Read More »
