Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you want to improve your writing process? Today’s column will give you five key tips for better writing. School has changed a lot since Sister Mary Rosa taught me to read in the 1960s — but one thing doesn’t seem to have evolved. The teaching of writing. Most schools don’t […]
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Reading time: About 3 minutes I’m not particularly good with numbers but one thing I learned early — there’s something special about the number three. Today’s column focuses on the magic of three. “Don’t forget to ask about the cat, the wireless and the peacock.” That instruction, from my son, made us all burst out laughing.
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Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Learning to write is really an apprenticeship. Today’s newsletter focuses on writing quotes and advice from some of our best-known masters. Many of the the comments are amusing, some are serious, but all provide ample food for writerly thought. I was going through some files on my hard drive this
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Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Today’s column focuses on the subject of writing talent. Many of us consider “talent” to fall into the same general category as “luck” or a “gift.” Continue reading to learn why that’s a bad idea! I must confess, I both admire and dislike the American Kennedy family. On the negative
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Reading time: About 3 minutes Today’s column focuses on the subject of graphic design. If you thought your only job was to write or edit, read on to learn how you can earn more work by becoming a better advisor to your clients! I was invoicing a client last week and realized I didn’t have his
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Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Today’s column focuses on the subject of taste and how our perception of taste affects everything — including our beliefs about “good writing.” I’m writing this as I sit in the local branch of our public library. Why? Not because of the books, although I adore being surrounded by such
Baby, it’s hot outside or the perils of “good writing” Read More »
Reading time: About 2.5 minutes Do you regularly eat mangoes? Today I’ll explain why you should massage your mangoes — and, of course, your metaphors. I bought a new chair recently. This decision was a key part of my ongoing campaign to improve my wretched back. I’m also seeing a personal trainer (thanks so much to the
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Reading time: Less than 3 minutes When I was about 16 years old, I first heard about the two-martini mistake. This wasn’t, as you might suppose, a teenage drinking behaviour. (Think about it — that would be more like the ten-beer mistake!) A throwback to the late ’60s, the term meant two things. First, it referred to
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Reading time: About 2.5 minutes Do you ever struggle to find writing inspiration? Bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert has some unusual thoughts about the origins of inspiration. Keep reading to find out more. When I read the memoir Eat, Pray, Love several years ago I was like a 14-year-old facing a package of salt & vinegar
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Reading time: About 3 minutes Last week’s column on mindmapping inveigled a large number of responses. One of them had me laughing. . . and thinking . . . and acting. . . Read on to find out more.. I received a cheeky and amusing email last week. It came in response to my recent column
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