Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a metaphor from New Yorker scribe Andrew Marantz…. I like political satire as much as the next person, but American politics is so coo-coo right now that […]
The figurative language of Andrew Marantz… 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: riverine…. In reading the New Yorker, I encountered a word I’d never seen before. It appeared an Aug. 21/17 article headlined, “Is
What does ‘riverine’ mean? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes If your writing ever makes you feel helpless, it’s time for you to use learned hopefulness to inspire and support your writing… If the COVID epidemic has taught us anything, it’s schooled us in the concept of what psychologists call “learned helplessness.” Basically, this
How you can use learned HOPEFULNESS for your writing 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 how to get better selling writing…. Most writers know that the secret
How to do better selling of your writing 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 similes from J. Courtney Sullivan… I had never heard of the American author J. Courtney Sullivan (pictured above) until I read her novel Saints
The figurative language of J. Courtney Sullivan…. 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: doodad…. Of course, I know that a doodad is an ornamental attachment or decoration or a small article whose common name is unknown
‘Doodad’ – what’s the origin of the word? Read More »
Reading time: About 4 minutes Did you learn about mindmapping in high school? Your teacher may not have told you that mindmapping for writing is one of the best ways to use the tool… When people use terms like “writer’s block” or “resistance” or “procrastination,” I have a ready answer
Mindmapping for writing – what people get wrong 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 readability statistics… I’m usually amused when people first learn about readability statistics.
How seriously should you take readability statistics? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of similes and metaphors from Pamela Paul…. When I heard about Pamela Paul’s “BOB” — an acronym meaning Book of Books — I knew
The figurative language of Pamela Paul 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: bricolage…. I like to read the New Yorker not just for the very fine writing but also because it engages me in
What is ‘bricolage’? Read More »
