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 from Anna Wiener… There are few genres of books I enjoy more than a good memoir. So, when I heard positive reviews […]
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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: codswallop… I’ve known the expression, “that’s a load of codswallop” since I was a child, likely on account of my father’s British
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Reading time: Just over 5 minutes Do you make the mistake of trying to research WHILE you are writing? Make researching less painful by separating these two steps. Does the following scenario sound familiar?… You’re writing something that requires a great deal of research, and accuracy is paramount.. As a
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At one of our weekly Get It Done calls, one participant recently asked why I’ve started focusing on speed. I’m paraphrasing freely here, but he said something like, “I’m comfortable with the speed at which I write and I don’t really need or want to do it any faster.” While I respect everyone’s right to
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about similes from the American writer Curtis Sittenfeld…. I heard about novelist Curtis Sittenfeld thanks to the release of her 2020 book, an alternate political novel about the life
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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 phrase: in spate… When I read the novel The Porpoise by Mark Haddon, I was struck by the number of “British-isms” in his
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Reading time: About 5 minutes Here are my 10 favourite articles or posts from last month, focusing on the most useful, helpful and healthful pieces for writers. When I worked in the newspaper business, I had to learn how to cope with what we called “silly season.” At the height
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Something about creative work — painting, playing music, acting, sculpting and, of course, writing — makes many of us believe that a mystical element called “inspiration” is necessary. I have never believed this point. Sure, some people are born with more natural talent for these activities than others, but with enough hard work you can
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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 and metaphors from Kristin Kimball… When I heard about a memoir telling the story of a Manhattan-based writer who left her job
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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: chelonian… It doesn’t take much to persuade me to read a memoir. But make the main character a writer who’s exploring a
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