Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you suffer from the illusion of explanatory depth? Also known as the confidence trap, this error confuses familiarity with understanding…. Ask someone how a zipper works. Not in a vague way. Ask them to explain it — the teeth, the slider, the mechanism that pulls two sides together into […]
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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 blog post about readability statistics… I’m usually amused when people first learn about readability statistics. Their common reactions are: Shock:
How seriously should you take readability statistics? Read More »
Viewing time: 4 mins 46 secs The Write Question is a weekly video podcast about writing that I started in 2017 and that ran, more or less weekly, until April 2022. This is a republication of issue #214, which describes how much editing is too much editing. The post first ran on Jan. 21/22.
How much is too much editing? (video) Read More »
Reading time: About 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about similes and metaphors from Nell Stevens… I’m not a fan of ghost stories. But I appreciate well-written historical fiction. And I also like the writing of Nell Stevens. Her most recent novel,
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Reading time: About 1 minute If she doesn’t manage to write on a given day, Lucille Guarino tries not to be too hard on herself. Sometimes, she’ll even give herself a pass, she says. The author of Elizabeth’s Mountain, and Lunch Tales: Suellen Lucille Guarino lives in Lexington, South Carolina with her husband. Lunch Tales
Reflections on writing with Lucille Guarino… Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you wince when you hear about the success of other writers? It’s likely you’re just suffering from availability bias… You’ve probably never heard of the availability bias. But it’s been running most of our writing lives for years. Here’s how it works: When we try to judge how common
Availability bias is lying to you about your writing 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 helpful blog post about writing interruptions… I take it for granted that I’m going to face regular interruptions as a writer.
Writing interruptions: how to deal with them… Read More »
Viewing time: 4 mins 54 secs The Write Question is a weekly video podcast about writing that I started in 2017 and that ran, more or less weekly, until April 2022. This is a republication of issue #213, which describes how to cut words from a book that’s too long. The post first ran on
How do you cut words from a book that’s too long? (video) Read More »
Reading time: About 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about similes and metaphors from Niall Williams… The novel This is Happiness by Niall Williams sat at the top of my list of recommended books for 2020. Now, I can just as highly
The figurative language of Niall Williams… Read More »
Reading time: About 2 minutes Sarah Nakawatse says that writing is not so much about reaching the endpoint, but instead about all the experiences you have along the way… Sarah Nakawatase is the author of the romantic suspense novel Double-Crossing the Border and co-author of the science fiction novel Dormant Diversion. Her paranormal romance novel,
Reflections on writing with Sarah Nakawatase… Read More »
