You may dismiss the Rolling Stones as old-time rock ‘n rollers, druggies or a group of has-beens, but it turns out that Keith Richards’ writing advice is surprisingly wise…. I’m old enough to have been a seven-year-old when the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. (“Those boys have hair […]
Five writing lessons from Keith Richards… Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you know how to write a complaint letter? The rules are straightforward but surprisingly challenging to apply… My 20-year-old son, who’s studying to become an opera singer, recently gave me a complaint he’d written about one of his professors. He wanted to know if
How to write a complaint that gets results Read More »
I’m currently travelling so I won’t be able to blog regularly until Sept. 26. I have scheduled my Tuesday posts in advance so expect the next one Sept. 12. I’ll give you the details of the trip on my return.
On the road again… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Here are 10 boredom cures — also known as writing tips — that can help any writer have a bit more verve…. I sometimes find myself getting bored when I write. This feeling is not the end of the world, but it’s not very
How to save yourself from boredom while 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 New York Times article by Roger Rosenblatt…. I spend much of my working life thinking about
Roger Rosenblatt’s ‘invisible forces’ Read More »
Reading time: Less than 4 minutes Do you lack an office? Here are nine ways to make writing from home more productive for you…. When I started working from home in 1996, my triplets were two years old. I know, I know. Crazy! And my office didn’t even have a
How to make writing from home more effective Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Does the mere thought of writing make you feel exhausted? There are some good scientific reasons explaining why writing is so tiring… Do you spend most of your day sitting? And does it astonish you that you’re exhausted by the time the day ends? Our
Why is writing so tiring? 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 Kim Thuy…. In her book that is a cross between a novel, a memoir and poetry, writer Kim Thuy
The figurative language of Kim Thuy…. Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Establishing the writing habit will pay you big dividends into the future. It doesn’t matter how many words you produce each day. What matters is that you DO it…. When you read the subject line to this post perhaps, you thought, “Nah, it’s summer.
How to develop a rock-solid writing habit 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 mindmapping…. I fear I sometimes blather endlessly about mindmapping — even though
Why you should add colour to your mind maps Read More »
