Reading time: About 3 minutes Sonia Garrett says that if she can’t write, she can edit. And if she can’t edit, she can outline. And if none of that works, it’s usually because she needs more sleep. Sonia Garrett is the author of five middle-grade adventures: Maddie Makes a Movie, […]
Reflections on writing with Sonia Garrett… Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes There are lots of excuses but no good reasons. You need to learn how to write when you’re being interrupted… A reader wrote to me last week in despair. She works from home, has two kids and a dog and shares an office with her
The dog can wait: how to write when you’re being interrupted 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 blog post about the topic of creative mistakes…. German scientist Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894) once
Are you making creative mistakes? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of metaphors from writer Samantha Harvey…. There is a pop star named Samantha Harvey, but I’m not talking about her. Based in the U.K.,
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Reading time: About 2 minutes Raw storytelling is what you get with the first draft, according to writer Bill Koch. Engaging storytelling requires revision… Bill Koch is a retired psychologist and clinical professor emeritus at UBC. He graduated from SFU’s Writers Studio in 2021. His fiction examines mental health, legal
Reflections on writing with Bill Koch… Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Instead of throat-clearing in writing, just encourage yourself to get to the point more expeditiously…. Someone sent me an email last week. The first paragraph was warm and friendly and ran to six sentences. Not one of them said anything. The writer was trying to
The line between courtesy and throat-clearing in writing Read More »
Reading time: About a 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 about dangling participles and other jokes of grammar… I have something lighter for you
Dangling participles and other jokes of grammar… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of metaphors and similes from Alice Miller… Alice Miller is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the International Institute of Modern Letters. She
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Reading time: About 2 minutes Isabella Wang says she originally thought one successful publication was the finish line — but now she understands it was only the beginning… Isabella Wang is the author of November, November (Nightwood 2025), Pebble Swing (Nightwood, 2021), a finalist for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize,
Reflections on writing with Isabella Wang… Read More »
Reading time: About 4 minutes Looking for some recommended books in time for summer reading? Here’s my semi-annual roundup of books I’ve read this year. I aim to read 52 books every 12 months, and my habit is to post a complete list for you twice a year. Here is a
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