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 simile from Katherine Ashenburg… California has enacted water restrictions for the first time in state history. For some cities — such as Sacramento — this will mean cutting water usage […]
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Reading time: About 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: sententious. I’d avoided the book The Diving Bell and the Butterfly — by Jean-Dominique Bauby (pictured above) — for years. As a survivor of
What does sententious mean? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes Do you need to learn how to write a thesis? Here’s some advice from someone who’s just finished the job… I can’t begin to calculate how many words I’ve written in my life. If forced to give a total, I’d say well over a
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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 an article on writing and the subconscious mind by Charlotte Seager… I’ve never believed in outlining. Even in
Why you shouldn’t write from a blueprint Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute Don’t ever under-estimate the power of signage… Advertisements for TV shows and movies are always created by professionals. Ditto for print ads in magazines and newspapers. But why, oh why, is signage often left to amateurs? Do people who create (or place) signs imagine
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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: maieutic… I wrote yesterday about Draftback — a fascinating piece of free software that will allow you to record your writing, keystroke
What does maieutic mean? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes If you’ve ever vowed to stop editing while you write, here’s a tool that will really make you want to keep that promise. Watch the video to see how writers waste time, editing while they write… Do you have difficulty writing your crappy first
How to see yourself in a writing mirror 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 remarkable collection of references assembled by Maria Popova…. I have a particular interest in writers who
The collected wisdom of great writers Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes You’ve undoubtedly heard the expression ‘tempest in a teapot.’ Today I write about a crisis in a coffee cup. I’d missed the whole brouhaha over Starbucks’ ill-advised scheme to start a public discussion about race. Perhaps that’s because I’m Canadian and the program didn’t exist here.
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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 simile from Sebastian Faulks… In his interesting (albeit uneven) collection of stories and novellas, titled A Possible Life, Sebastian Faulks offers some particularly delicious figurative language. I
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