Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a simile from Helen Oyeyemi…. I’m not a superstitious person, except when it comes to reading. I was standing in a bookstore on Galiano Island last weekend and the novel Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen […]
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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: karoshi. Before I met my husband, 27 years ago, I was a self-diagnosed workaholic. My husband’s relaxed, easy-going manner helped me lighten up a lot, even though I continue to work
What does karoshi mean? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Last week I wrote about the “why” of paraphrasing. Today, I explain how to paraphrase…. Before you read today’s post, decide who you are: Are you a university student, writing a thesis or essay? If so, refer to part 1. Are you a corporate communicator or freelance writer? If so,
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 New York Times article written by Pamela Erens… When I read Pamela Erens’ article headlined “The Joys of Trimming,” in the
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Are your communications strategies so antique they belong in the Edwardian England of Downtown Abbey? Remember: you need to adapt with the times… I recently had lunch with a colleague — a senior vice-president — and heard her confession that she had just “unlocked” the privacy settings on her business-related Twitter account. “My communications people
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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: ekphrasis. When I saw the noun ekphrasis, I had no idea what it meant. But by the sound of it, I knew it was Greek. I encountered it in a
What does ekphrasis mean? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Paraphrasing isn’t a job just for academics. It’s something that all writers need to learn how to do… When I was in high school and university, I hated writing. I adored editing, mind you, but I found the pain of extracting that first draft torturous. The most painful part?
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Reading time: About 1 and a half minutes 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 New York Times columnist Frank Bruni. I don’t expect everyone to read as voraciously as
Helping kids become readers Read More »
Reading time: About 2 minutes Every hit isn’t a home run. And not all media interviews go smoothly. Here’s how to take your lemons and turn them into lemonade… Have you ever bombed on a media interview? If you’re being honest, the answer is almost certainly yes. No one is perfect and interviews are stressful.
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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: odalisque. A story in the January 2014 Vanity Fair magazine, headlined “Frieze until numbness sets in,” and written by A.A. Gill, focused on the Fall 2013 London Art Fair.
What does odalisque mean? Read More »
