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: halcyon. I had never known the shameful story of the Hungarian Gold Train until I read Ayelet Waldman’s striking 2014 novel, Love and […]
What’s the root of the word halcyon? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Frank Sinatra began his musical career as a boy singer with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. But did you know he ended it as a writing inspiration coach? Read on… I’m a longtime fan of Frank Sinatra. Almost incredibly, so are my 21-year-old triplets.
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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 by Stephen King… I’ve never been a fan of horror. But
Stephen King questions the productivity of novelists 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 metaphor from Emily Gould… I read Emily Gould’s novel, Friendship, under false pretences. Somehow I thought she was the daughter of Stephen Jay Gould, author of Ever
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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: folderol. When I re-read the 1963 novel The Group, recently, I was struck by the notion that our collective vocabularies have become less
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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 poem about the perils of spell checkers… My supremely irritating spell checker insists on “correcting” words that
Candidate for a Pulitzer Prize? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes Unless you live in Vancouver you may not be aware of the UBC presidential crisis that’s occurring right now. Even if you live here, however, the scale of it is hard to believe… I once made a bad hiring mistake. I was 20 years
Anatomy of a UBC presidential crisis… 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 some metaphors and similes from Mary McCarthy… I first read the 1963 novel, The Group, by Mary McCarthy, when I was 20 years old. I remember enjoying it but
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Reading time: Just over 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: cynosure… I’m always thrilled when readers suggest books I can read. About two months ago, Harry Herskovitz recommended to me In the Kingdom of Ice:
What does cynosure mean? Read More »
Reading time: About 5 minutes Have you ever wondered how to build a style sheet? Has your boss ever asked you to create one? Here’s a straightforward guide on how to accomplish the task… I’ve long held the belief that good copy editors are born, not made. I’m a very good substantive
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