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: prodome. In early November, I was in a panic. I resolve to read 52 books every year — and, in fact, I resolve more than that, because I […]
What does prodome mean? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Have you ever wondered how to fight perfectionism? I’ve battled it for many years. Let me share my strategy… Born into a highly competitive family, with a father — a writer — who believed his five children always needed to try a whole lot harder, I felt as if I
Why writers need to practice generosity 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 an article on how to become a prolific reader… Everything I’ve read about Ryan Holiday should cause me to dislike him. He takes
How to become a prolific reader Read More »
Reading time: Less than 2 minutes We all need at least one decent grammar reference book for our shelves. My recommendation? The Transitive Vampire… I’ve never fancied myself as much of an expert on grammar. I hated the subject as a school child and I learned it only reluctantly as an adult. But I was blessed with
My favourite grammar reference book Read More »
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: catercornered I love regional variations in language. In the US (and Canada), for example, some places call the sugary drink “pop,” others refer to it as “soda”
What does catercornered mean? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Here’s a new verb: to satisfice. And let me explain why you should satisfice your writing… When my triplets were born in 1994, I knew I needed help. That said, we didn’t want to hire a nanny. We had no space in our house for one. As well, my
Why you should satisfice your writing 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 an article on the grammar of Christmas carols… I regret to confess that I began playing Christmas carols on the piano
Exploring the grammar of Christmas carols Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute Does your company need some communications training? Here’s how to hire a trainer… I’m negotiating with a potential client right now about delivering a series of communications workshops. Today, I thought, we might be getting close to signing a final contract. Instead, I learned, they’re feeling jittery. And they have
How to find a communications trainer Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about some metaphors from Nicholson Baker… The book The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker will not be to everyone’s taste. It’s very short (142 pages) but a slow read, laden as it is with artful writing
The figurative language of Nicholson Baker… Read More »
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: adumbrate. I’m looking forward to reading David Mitchell’s new book The Bone Clocks, a gift to me, from my husband. Billed by the magazine Vanity Fair as “an
What does adumbrate mean? Read More »
