Reading time: About 5 mins. 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 of the names of them for you, in early summer and December. Here is […]
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Reading time: About 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 containing writing advice from the pros… I’m generally a bit skeptical of taking advice from “successful” authors. Yes, their
Some writing advice from the pros… Read More »
Reading time: About 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 Jean Kyoung Frazier… I like reading debut novels. While they are usually flawed, they often spark with little shards of brightness. Such is the case with Jean
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Reading time: About 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: susurrus. I love onomatopoeia which occurs when words phonetically imitate, resemble or suggest the source of the sound that they describe. Some of these words are related to water: splash, spray and sprinkle. Others recall the human voice: giggle, growl and grunt. Still
What does the word ‘susurrus’ mean? Read More »
Reading time: About 5 minutes If you’re feeling overwhelmed right now, perhaps the concept of project management software for writers has crossed your mind. Be very careful before you take the step of buying something… Writers sometimes ask me to recommend project management software. I must confess, I’ve never used it myself, but I recently
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Reading time: About 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 book proposal comps…. Many writers ask me about how to choose their book comps, while a smaller number
How can you find book proposal comps? Read More »
Reading time: About 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 Rumaan Alam…. An American writer of Bangladeshi origin, Rumaan Alam, studied writing at Oberlin College and currently lives in New York. He is the author
The figurative language of Rumaan Alam…. Read More »
Reading time: About 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: enterotomes… When I encounter what appears to be a highly technical word — like enterotomes — my eyes tend to glaze over a little bit. In the past,
What are ‘enterotomes’? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Sure, you may read for fun. But if you learn how reading helps writing, you’ll start approaching the task a little differently…. An essay by Joan Didion described her husband — the late John Gregory Dunne — reading a novel. I could be wrong, but I seem to recall the
How reading helps writing Read More »
Reading time: About 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 showing vulnerability in writing… Have you ever allowed yourself to show vulnerability in writing? My guess is you
Are you ready to show vulnerability in your writing? Read More »
