Reading time: About 3 minutes Have you ever fretted about how to improve your writing? It might not be as expensive as you fear… We had a plethora of reasons for rebuilding our house four years ago. It had a cracked foundation that made it unsafe in the earthquake zone in which we live. We […]
What a broken washing machine can teach you about writing Read More »
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 an article written by John Kaag. As a professional writer, writing coach and mother of three children, whose work I have often
Don’t give up, but never willingly finish… Read More »
Reading time: About 1.5 minutes If you think your yearly publication is going to be able to change anyone’s mind, think again! Here’s why your readers need more touches… Clients sometimes ask me to produce yearly or quarterly publications for them. Unless they’re asking for an annual report (or a mini-report tied to the release
Why your readers need more touches Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a simile from Jonathan Letham…. I read the 1999 novel Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Letham on the strength of a radio interview I heard with him. I must confess, I didn’t enjoy
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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: piebald. The Salley Vickers novel Miss Garnet’s Angel holds an honoured spot in my lifetime list of top 10 books. (My list, I must confess, changes regularly, but this book
What does piebald mean? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Have you ever struggled with how to make writing easier? Here are some tips I’ve picked up as I’ve aged… I have a weird psychological quirk. Significant birthdays — ones ending in 0 — never upset me. Instead, I get freaked out by ones ending in seven. Somehow, the oddness
5 life lessons for your younger writer 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 walking that appeared on the CTV News website… Quick question: How often do you find yourself sitting at
Why you should be walking more Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute How you deal with a customer service problem tells people far more about your company than you might think…. I emailed one of my suppliers recently. I had a very small print job for a client and I needed a quote. Uncharacteristically, I didn’t hear back from the supplier right
Turn that customer frown upside down Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a smart metaphor from a Margaret Talbot piece in the New Yorker. When my husband and I finish with our New Yorkers, we pass them along to a friend. Preparing myself to let
The figurative language of Margaret Talbot… 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: gallimaufry. When I read the new Elizabeth Gilbert novel, The Signature of All Things, I was gobsmacked to see a word I couldn’t fathom: gallimaufry. Here is how she
What does gallimaufry mean? Read More »
