I’m away from my blog for a week as I’m off on a full-time volunteering gig. I’m the debate coach at my local high school and I’m running a debate camp for teenagers for the next five days. Happy Canada Day (July 1) to my Canadian compatriots and happy Fourth of July to my American […]
Reading time: About 4 minutes Looking for some recommended books in time for summer reading? Here’s my semi-annual roundup of books I’ve read this year. I aim to read 52 books every 12 months and my habit is to post a complete list of the names of them for you, in June and December. Here is a
Recommended books: Summer 2017 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 written by Derek Sivers…. I can’t remember how I learned about Derek Sivers (pictured above), but it wasn’t
Why you should hire a translator 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 two similes and a metaphor from novelist Barbara Gowdy… I had heard the name of Canadian novelist and short story writer Barbara Gowdy for many years. But I’d never managed to
The figurative language of Barbara Gowdy 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: interstices… Some authors use unusual words multiple times in a single book. No reader is surprised to see words like “it” or “that” or “was” a multitude of times.
What does ‘interstices’ mean? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Are you still editing WHILE you write? This broken writing process is only slowing you down, as a clever little app can help demonstrate to you…. I spend a good chunk of my life trying to persuade people to stop editing while they write. I do this because I
Do you have a broken writing process? 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 very funny images from Helen Ellis…. I read the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo and it inspired me to clean and organize my earring collection. But
The figurative language of Helen Ellis…. 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: clerisy… I regularly read the New York Times but, as a Canadian, don’t have the time for many other American newspapers, excellent though they may be. Thus,
What is ‘clerisy’? Read More »
Reading time: About 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 bestselling author John Grisham… I’ve never been a huge fan of John Grisham. I read his first
Writing advice from John Grisham 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 metaphors and similes from Jason Horowitz… I first visited Rome in 2015 and — like many tourists — fell in love with the city. The sights! The architecture!
The figurative language of Jason Horowitz… Read More »
