Reading time: Less than 2 minutes Customer service is a big problem for many companies but it never fails to surprise me when I encounter it as a consumer… I’m a serious cook, and I recently subscribed to a paid service called Raw Spice Bar. For $6 dollars per month ($10 in Canada, where I […]
Raw Spice Bar botches customer service 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 similes from novelist Paula McLain… I discovered the American writer Paula McLain through her wildly successful novel, The Paris Wife — a fictionalized account of Ernest Hemingway’s first marriage to Hadley Richardson. Seeking to
The central bonfire licked the sky… 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: epergene… I view myself as a serious cook and entertainer, but I had never come across the word epergne until I read Patricia Volk’s memoir: Stuffed: Adventures of
What’s an “epergne”? Read More »
Reading time: Just over four minutes Is email the best, most efficient way of communicating or is it a heavy encumbrance that stops us for talking to each other? Whatever you think of it, email is part of the business world and you’d be wise to avoid these email mistakes… How many emails do you produce each
11 email mistakes you really shouldn’t make 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 video featuring author Elizabeth Gilbert….. I watch TED talks all the time but only recently discovered a link to 10
See how TED curates author videos Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute There’s an art to saying you’re sorry. Here are some guidelines for how to apologize… I had an important interview scheduled for this week, but the person’s Executive Assistant emailed me to re-schedule it. The new time she suggested wasn’t convenient for me — I had another call booked — but
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 metaphor and a simile from Celeste Ng… I don’t typically read mysteries or thrillers but I’m always willing to make exceptions when something literary crosses my desk. My husband recently passed
The figurative language of Celeste Ng Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes I’m guessing that most aspiring writers have never been serious figure skaters. Here’s why you might have more in common with that type of athlete than you imagine… Should there be a publication ban on the names of all defendants and victims in criminal trials until a verdict has
Why writing is like figure skating Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute Sometimes writing seems hard and complicated and thankless. But when such feelings seek to overwhelm you, remember the advice of Neil Gaiman and simply make good art… As we approach another season of university commencements I’m drawn again to the very wise words of author Neil Gaiman (pictured above.) Addressing
Reading time: Less than 1 minute When I’m editing material for clients, here’s the most common mistake I see: they haven’t set a consistent style for headlines and subheads. If your headline doesn’t follow a proper style, your publication won’t look professionally edited. What do I mean by that? Well, there are two fundamental type of heads
The secret to a professional-looking headline Read More »
