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: demesne…. Mark Haddon is a fine novelist with one bestseller behind him, and a new book in the offing. The celebrated 2003 bestseller is The Curious Incident […]
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Reading time: Just over 4 minutes Social distancing is sending many of us scurrying to our screens. But is that a good idea? How can we cope when our lives are governed by screens? If you’re a writer, odds are high you’re an introvert — someone who regains energy by spending time alone. While of
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I consult with many writers who have more than one project on the go. Sometimes they get frustrated that one project is “taking off” while another is dragging behind. “What’s the solution?” they ask me, with enormous frustration in their voices. You may find my answer surprising, but the solution is to work on both
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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: hornswoggle… When I encountered the word hornswoggle in Elizabeth Gilbert’s new novel City of Girls, I knew exactly what it meant: to cheat or to deceive. Here
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Reading time: Just over 3 minutes If you want to become a faster writer, think about how you can practice typing during the pandemic. Agile fingers will help you better keep up with your brain… I learned to type on a typesetting machine. I’d wanted to learn in high school but my snooty convent school
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I’ve long advocated having all academics keep a research diary. (See my initial post about the idea, here.) Now I’m going to present the argument that all WRITERS should keep a diary as well. I came around to this way of thinking recently, after receiving an email from a one-on-one coaching client of mine. Like
Research diary or writing diary? You choose! 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: slewed…. The verb slewed strikes me as rather British, although I can’t say why. Perhaps it’s because it carries the whiff of something slightly old-fashioned? In any
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Reading time: Roughly 8 minutes (but very skimmable) Here are my 10 favourite articles or posts from last month, focusing on the most useful, helpful and healthful pieces for writers. I’m starting to think of COVID-19 as the pandemic that won’t end. Last week I had the suffocating feeling of being a prisoner in my
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In last week’s post, I wrote about highly productive writers. Now I’m going to turn the tables and focus on the editing side of the equation. If you’re in the editing phase of your project — and finding yourself heading in an unproductive direction— this review should help you get back on track. 1-Productive editors
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Viewing time: 4 mins. 24 secs. The Write Question is a weekly video podcast all about writing. Today’s question looks at how freelance writers can cope with Covid 19. If you have a question you’d like me to answer you can email me, tweet me @pubcoach, or leave a message for me at the
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