Reading time: Less than 1 minute Have you ever struggled with a Committee of A**holes? 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…. My longtime friend Eve Johnson is a writer, a yoga-instructor […]
Do you need to disband your committee of A**holes? 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 Elizabeth McCracken… Contemporary American writer Elizabeth McCracken has one of the best — most skillful — ears around for figurative language.
Elizabeth McCracken: more figurative language…. 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: scarpered… I don’t read many murder mysteries but when a book is recommended by the New York Times, I’ll consider spending some
What does ‘scarpered’ mean? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes Some people (like me) love working from home. Others find it frightening or daunting. Here’s how to work from home in a workable way… Is the threat of coronavirus forcing you to work from home for the next few weeks or months? I started working
How to work from home — even if you really don’t want to Read More »
Reading time: About 5 minutes Need to work with difficult editors, whether they’re annoying, angry or thoroughly inept? Here’s a primer on how to accomplish that challenging task…. I once worked for a difficult editor at the daily newspaper where I cut my teeth. He started screaming at me in
How to work with difficult editors Read More »
I like to joke with many of my friends about the annoying way in which my mornings are way too short. Why do they seem so short? Well, if I for sure want to get something done, I know I need to schedule it for first thing in the morning. The trouble is, I always
How to avoid burning out Read More »
I’m off for the week, escaping the city scene of Vancouver and enjoying walking and cooking on Salt Spring Island. Best of all, I have a big bag of books to take with me! Will be back to my blog next Tuesday, March 17/20.
Reading time: About 5 minutes If writing is making you miserable, don’t be loyal to your suffering! Here’s what to do instead…. Are you one of those writers who expects writing to be difficult, challenging, boring and — most alarmingly — unsuccessful? I’ve worked with people like that and I’ll
How do you stop being loyal to your suffering? Read More »
Did the phrase “productivity shame” in the headline cause your heart to skip a beat (in an alarming way) or make you blush with self-recognition? Such shame — the feeling that you could, and should, be doing more — is practically a contagious disease in today’s society. No matter how any hours we work, no
Is productivity shame killing your writing? 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 from Emma Donoghue…. As a long-term fan of Emma Donoghue, I was disappointed that her latest novel, Akin, didn’t meet my expectations.
Emma Donoghue and her figurative language Read More »
