Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do you ever struggle with ‘important writing’ versus ‘urgent everything else’? Here’s how to change your mindset, so you actually accomplish your writing…. I have a date with myself to write this column at 9 a.m. every Thursday. But guess what happened last week? Someone else scheduled a meeting […]
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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 a series of similes from Robert Harris… I’ve read a number of Robert Harris books and I see him as a journeyman thriller writer rather than a fine stylist. Still, his
More figurative language from Robert Harris… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes When you take a vacation should you also take time off from writing? Here’s a quick guide to handling holiday writing… Even if I didn’t have a calendar and was oblivious to the days getting longer and the temperatures becoming warmer, I would still know vacation time is approaching.
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Reading time: Less than 3 minutes When you write, write. Don’t distract yourself with concerns about publication. That was the lesson Tom Wolfe learned with his book The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby… When veteran writer Tom Wolfe died at the age of 88 last week, I reflected on the first time I had heard the
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Reading time: Just over 3 minutes I’m sure you’ve read elsewhere that good writers are always good readers. Here are the reasons why…. A grade 2 teacher reported to my parents more than 50 years ago that I wasn’t reading enough. The reaction? It was like an alarm going off in a nuclear plant. My parents dusted off
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Reading time: Just over 3 minutes Social media gets a lot of attention these days, but you also need to know how to promote your writing without Facebook or Twitter. Here are some suggestions…. I watch my time like a mama bear guarding her cubs. I recently quit Facebook, and I constrain my Twitter time
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Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do you ever ponder the writing rituals of famous authors? Pondering is okay, but don’t use their habits as a model for your own behaviour…. Did you know that Sylvia Plath (pictured above) and Benjamin Franklin started their writing days at 4 am and 5 am, respectively? Oliver Sacks was
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Reading time: Just over 3 minutes 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 about imposter syndrome….. I was 27-years old when I became the features editor of a large metropolitan
Do you suffer from imposter syndrome? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes Does the mere thought of a test make your stomach clench? Here are some basic writing assessment test tips… I once failed a personality test. OK, to be honest, it’s not technically possible to fail such a test because we all have personalities. But I didn’t do well on it
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Reading time: About 3 minutes Join me this week as I take an important detour into the concept of protecting your health while you write. Contractors and nurses may need to take certain steps to prevent injury, but so do writers. And one of the biggest secrets is remembering to breathe! A few days before
Do you suffer from writing apnea? Read More »
