Reading time: Just over 2 minutes There are many routes to becoming a better writer. Here’s one I favour: become a better writer by improving your sense of well-being… My brother-in-law, Doug — who’s a civil engineer — likes to tell a joke about people in his own profession. What’s […]
Work on your personality before you work on your writing Read More »
Reading time: Just over 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 on reading by Pamela Paul… I love reading. It is my
Why you should read books you hate 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 from American writer Elif Batuman… Elif Batuman (pictured above) was born in New York City to Turkish parents. She graduated from Harvard College, and received her
The figurative language of Elif Batuman… 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: effulgent… I can no longer remember how I discovered the heartbreaking New York Magazine story “The Day I started Lying to Ruth,” written
What does ‘effulgent’ mean? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Grammarly is a free app with a paid-for premium option. Is it worth spending the money for the more expensive option? One of my clients has a subscription to the grammar-checker service Grammarly. The basic function offered by Grammarly — identifying most spelling and grammar errors — is
Is it worth paying for Grammarly? 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 BBC podcast called Soul Music… I worry that I’m veering ever-so-slightly off topic in today’s blog. The podcast
Could soul music inspire 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 metaphors relating to time… I just about gave up on the podcast S-Town, produced by the same team who brings us This American Life and Serial. Initially, the
The figurative language of time… 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 phrase: etymological fallicist… As a result of my own recent foray into video —you can see my work here — I’ve started watching more Internet videos. No cat
What’s an ‘etymological fallicist’? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 5 minutes How can you improve your writing? Here are 33 lessons I’ve learned over the past 33 years…. I accepted a job as a senior editor at a metropolitan daily newspaper some 33 years ago. Little did the company understand I knew almost nothing about
33 writing lessons from 33 years of 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 Guardian article written about novelist Wyl Menmuir… I had never before heard of UK writer Wyl Menmuir, although I
Becoming a more productive writer Read More »
