Reading time: Less than 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: suzerainty… I knew of the late Clark Davey back in the 1980s when he must have been a ‘youngster’ of only 60 years old. At the time, I was […]
What is ‘suzerainty’? 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 about Andrew Sean Greer…. Ultra successful novelist Andrew Sean Greer (he won the Pulitzer for Fiction in 2018
Why Andrew Sean Greer writes every day Read More »
Viewing time: 4 mins. 42 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 #36, about improving writing focus. The post first ran on Nov. 10/17. Transcript: Welcome to The Write Question,
Improving writing focus (video) Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of metaphors, similes and images of personification from Katherena Vermette…. Katherena Vermette has written a gripping and gritty novel displaying the adversity facing Indigenous women in Canada. Her book,
The figurative language of Katherena Vermette… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 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: comity…. When I read the fascinating Danish novel — shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize — Mirror, Shoulder, Signal by Dorthe Nors, I was struck by the cool precision
What does ‘comity’ mean? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 2 minutes Are you ready for Christmas? Here are some suggestions for how to make Christmas a happier holiday for writers…. As wonderful as Christmas is, it’s a celebration that often creates stress for writers, freelancers and companies. Here is some advice on how to manage the biggest holiday of the
How writers can deal with Christmas 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 Twitter thread on writerly rejection…. An American poet whose debut collection Prelude to a Bruise was named a 2014 finalist
How much rejection have you faced? Read More »
Viewing time: 5 mins. 21 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 #35, about making editing easier. The post first ran on Oct. 27/17. Transcript: Welcome to The Write Question,
Making editing easier…(video) Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about similes from the American author Steven Rowley… I was walking by a remainder table in my favourite bookstore when the title of a book grabbed me by the eyeballs and gave
The figurative language of Steven Rowley Read More »
Reading time: Less than 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: carnelian…. I have a pretty good vocabulary with a few gaping holes. I was a Liberal Arts student in school, favouring literature and history classes over anything
What does ‘carnelian’ mean? Read More »
