Reading time: About 1 minute A great way to improve your writing is to emulate the work of others. That’s why, every week, I present a sentence that I’d happily imitate. I comment today on one written by Jeanette Walls. I am in the minority when it comes to writer […]
Bringing those big crazy birds back home… 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 series of metaphors from Kathryn Schulz. I had never heard of writer Kathryn Schulz before I read her hilarious article “That Goddamned Blue Bird and
The figurative language of Kathryn Schulz… Read More »
Reading time: Just over 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: minatory. I go to a lot of opera these days. Not because I’m highly cultured (and, in any case, before the 20th
What does minatory mean? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Many of our excuses for not writing might sound convincing, if we don’t think about them too much. But when it comes right down to it, the only person we’re hurting is ourselves. Check out this list and see if any of these excuses
83 excuses for not 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 writers. Today I discuss an amusing and educational post that appeared on the Bigstock Photo blog. As a Canadian, I live in
Unexpected challenges of cross-cultural writing Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute A great way to improve your writing is to emulate the work of others. That’s why, every week, I present a sentence that I’d happily imitate. I comment today on one written by New Yorker writer Ian Frazier… How do you deal with homelessness? Do
Several thousand of them would have to stand… Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a metaphor from Maile Meloy. Some writers are so productive with figurative language that I view them as veritable “metaphor factories.” Maile Meloy is one of those
The figurative language of Maile Meloy… Read More »
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: ochre. Elizabeth Smart lives up to her last name with remarkable aplomb. Kidnapped as a 14-year-old in 2002, the remarkable young woman managed
Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you have a half-finished manuscript collecting dust in a bottom drawer? A half dozen articles you’ve started but never managed to wrap up? Here are five tips that will help you learn how to finish your writing. In the deliciously-titled fantasy novel, Miss Peregrine’s
5 ways to finish your writing Read More »
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 writers. Today I discuss an article written by Erik Schneiderhan in which he talks about dealing with mean editors…. I don’t think
Taylor Swift’s advice about mean editors Read More »
