Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do you want to learn how to cure procrastination? Try lying to yourself… I used to hate writing. Twenty years ago, if you’d told me that I could tell myself a simple lie and — suddenly, magically — it would make writing easier and more pleasant, I would have […]
How to write (when you really don’t want to) 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 on the daily word count of famous writers… How many words can you write in a day? Would
What’s the daily word count of famous writers? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute Does your website load quickly and efficiently? Can customers find you easily? If you don’t know, you might want to run your URL through Website Grader… I have a consultant working on a new page for my website. Rest assured, I wrote all the content myself. And I hired a
Why you should check your speed with Website Grader 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 a series of similes from Abigail Thomas… When I heard about the memoir What Comes Next and How to Like It by Abigail Thomas, I knew I had to read it. Her father, Lewis Thomas, was
The figurative language of Abigail Thomas… 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: 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 be able to eat at
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, Australia, Machu Picchu, South Africa.
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 it sounds — and infinitely more
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 escaped mention in the last round-up
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 counterintuitive arguments. A particularly interesting
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 little respect for the man,
Trump-sized expectations… Read More »
