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: hermetic… I’m a bit of a foodie so I read New York Times restaurant reviews with particular interest. Not that I’ll ever likely […]
What does the word ‘hermetic’ mean? 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 an article about literary Iceland….. My travel “bucket list” includes many of the usual suspects: Spain,
A land of ice and books… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute We all have unstated assumptions — things we think about ourselves and others. But when it comes to communications planning, the unstated assumptions can undo us… I met with the client this week to discuss some mailing lists. This meeting was more important than
Check your unstated assumptions… 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 Anne Enright…. I zipped through the marvellous novel The Green Road, by Anne Enright (pictured above), late last year. But my end-of-the-year finish meant it
The figurative language of Anne Enright… 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 about Sarah Palin’s English… I’m predisposed to like articles that make
Sarah Palin’s English… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute Donald Trump’s Iowa results carry an important message for corporate communicators — and they’re about more than just politics… I find American politics to be almost endlessly interesting. Never more so than when there are crazy, high profile candidates such as Donald Trump. I have
Trump-sized expectations… 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: listicle… I’m not a morbid person. But following the deaths of my father, my father-in-law and my mother, I’ve taken more of an
What’s a listicle? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Are you determined enough to get your writing done? Believe it or not, stubbornness is a virtue… When one of my daughters was two she chose to present her unique personality on a family camping trip. I was about to go for a walk, and
Why stubbornness is a virtue for writers 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 post from the blog Brain Pickings….. If you forced me to pick a favourite genre
Why we write memoir Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute Is it worth hiring a professional proofreader? Here’s my view, if your publication is going to be printed… I’m a big believer in the value of professional proofreaders. If you’re reluctant to spend the money on one (currently somewhere between $35 and $50 per hour),
The value of a professional proofreader Read More »
