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: sprezzatura… Many attribute God-like credentials to American writer John McPhee and hold his writing in awe. I do not. In fact, I find some of […]
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Reading time: Just over 3 minutes You may hate technology or love it but at least be aware of how the Internet is improving writing… I graduated from high school 40 years ago this June. (Yikes! Time doesn’t just fly. It’s rocket-propelled.) Back in this mesolithic era, teachers moaned about…
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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 written by Maria Popova…. I’m always impressed by the depth and sophistication that writer
In praise of the anti-scholar Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes Most of the news relating to Angelina Jolie and her recent surgery announcement focus, as they should, on Jolie’s health and bravery. But I think there’s another part to the story as well… A deep, murky well of cancer runs through my family. Both my
The real message from Angelina Jolie…. 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 Hannah Kent…. The fine book Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (pictured above) is being turned into a movie starring Jennifer Lawrence. I hope this will bring
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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: hurdy gurdy. Of course, I know what a hurdy-gurdy is. It’s a stringed instrument (pictured above) that produces sound by a crank-turned wheel
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Reading time: Just over 3 minutes In the 25 years I spent as a wage slave (an employee, rather than a contractor) I had exactly ONE good supervisor. But I learned plenty about how to write for a bad boss…. I was standing in the middle of the newsroom — an open-area office
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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 written by Melinda Osteen… A headline like How To Think and Write Creatively was bound
Make reading a daily habit… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute Some people call it high rising terminal. But I call it uptalk. And I avoid it…. I have an important question for you: Do you uptalk? What I mean is: do you end every statement sounding as though you’ve just asked a question? If
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 Joseph Kertes. I remember many departures in my life. My two best friends leaving for Europe after high school graduation, while I was off to
The figurative language of Joseph Kertes… Read More »
