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 how to pay attention, published in the online magazine Re-Form. I’m constantly struck by […]
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Reading time: Just over one minute So many people massacre their PowerPoint presentations. Here are three tips to teach you how to punch up PowerPoint… Do you ever use PowerPoint? I find the vast majority of PowerPoint presentations are far too dull — snooze-fests, seemingly designed to lull the audience into somnolence
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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 Eudora Welty…. Eudora Welty (1909—2001) was a prolific writer from the American South who wrote in many different genres, including novels, short stories, speeches and essays.
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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: threnody. I read Anne-Marie MacDonald’s landmark novel, Fall on Your Knees, back in 1997, the year in which it was published. Set largely
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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 an article containing a description of Jerry Seinfeld’s writing strategy… Are you the kind of writer who procrastinates? A lot?
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Reading time: Less than 2 minutes There’s plenty of collateral damage from Jian Ghomeshi — an object lesson in crisis communications gone wrong… When I coach clients on how to prepare for crisis communications, I have one key message for them. It’s something my mother told me when I was
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Reading time: About 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 Shane Koyczen. I first heard spoken-word poet Shane Koyczen when he performed at the 2010 winter Olympics, hosted by Vancouver. He was
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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: swards. I read William Trevor’s 1994 novel Felicia’s Journey in a mad panic last November. I was desperate to hit my goal of 52 books
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Has anyone ever told you that sitting is the new smoking? Here’s what I’m doing about that…. I didn’t make a new year’s resolution to use a standing desk. It just kind of crept up on me… If you’ve read my column for any
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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 Cal Newport blog post about the frustration of thinking… Even though I have no interest
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