Reading time: About 2 minutes Chelsey Dyck says she was surprised to discover how slow the writing process could be. But speaking with other writers has helped her to create a new timeline. And deadlines help…. Chelsey Dyck is a Mennonite writer living in East Vancouver with her cats. She graduated from The Writer’s Studio […]
Reflections on writing with Chelsey Dyck… Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes If you want to become a better writer, it might surprise you to know some of the simple steps you can take… As a writing coach with 45 years of experience guiding thousands of writers, I’ve discovered a number of obvious — and not-so-obvious — tips to improve your craft.
7 obvious and not-so-obvious ways to become a better writer Read More »
Reading time: Less than 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 a blog post on how to cultivate a deeper life…. Academic, writer and blogger Cal Newport has made famous the phrases
Writers: Could you cultivate a deeper life? Read More »
Viewing time: 4 mins. 50 secs. The Write Question is a weekly video podcast about writing that I started in 2017 and that ran, more or less weekly, until April 2022. This is a republication of issue #134, which discusses how to make editing less painful. The post first ran on April 3/20. Transcript: Have
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Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about metaphors from Elena Ferrante…. I came late to the Elena Ferrante parade. The pseudonymous Italian novelist published the first of her four famous novels — known collectively as the Neopolitan novels —
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Reading time: About 2 minutes Caroline Dohack says she uses the same strategies she employs as a runner in order to encourage herself to write…. Caroline Dohack is a journalist who covers culture, technology and business. She also is an adjunct professor with the Stephens College fashion program in Columbia, Missouri. She is currently working
Reflections on writing with Caroline Dohack…. Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes If you’ve ever been proud of something you find easy to do, ask yourself this: Can talents become weaknesses? I’m what you might call a “born” editor. I started editing when I was in high school. My papers. My friends’ papers. I thought it was fun and interesting. I continued
Can talents become weaknesses? Read More »
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 other writers. Today I discuss a TED talk on how to be more adaptable… How adaptable are you? These days, many of us struggle to adapt
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Viewing time: 4 mins. 25 secs. The Write Question is a weekly video podcast about writing that I started in 2017 and that ran, more or less weekly, until April 2022. This is a republication of issue #133, which discusses how to write to a character count. The post first ran on March 27/20. Transcript:
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Reading time: About 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about similes from John Vaillant…. John Vaillant is a writer and journalist who was born and raised in Massachusetts and has lived in Vancouver since 1998. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, National
The figurative language of John Vaillant…. Read More »
