Word count: 270 words 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: skein. I know a skein is a length of wool or yarn but when I encountered the word again recently, I wondered about […]
Word count: 722 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Are you one of those people who thinks that change is bad? Read on to learn about the benefits of fluctuations… My husband and I went for a walk in Capilano Canyon last week. We skipped the famous suspension bridge and instead hiked up to
3 simple reasons to accept fluctuations Read More »
Word count: 246 words 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 a study on “emotional writing” from the University of Auckland…. Is the act of expressing your emotions in words
Can writing help you heal? Read More »
Word count: 363 words Reading time: About 1.5 minutes 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. Today’s comes from Tobias Wolff. I’ve worshipped the writing of Tobias Wolff (pictured above) ever since I read his memoir This
He thought it when he saw the three women together Read More »
Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. Today I discuss a metaphor that Jill Lepore offers in the New Yorker. I didn’t know that Benjamin Franklin had had seven sisters! Somehow, they faded into the dark recesses of history, while the image of
The figurative language of Jill Lepore… Read More »
Word count: 269 words 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: picaresque. I don’t typically look at either Time Magazine or Macleans. But there I was, sitting in a doctor’s office, searching for something to read
What does picaresque mean? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes Most people don’t deliberately do things wrong. But if you really thought about it, what would you try to do differently? I admit it. I borrowed this column idea (and headline) from someone else. Her name is Penelope Trunk. I read her blog weekly and I appreciate her brash style,
Writers: are you making bad decisions (like me)? Read More »
Word count: 300 words 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 novelist Silas House… I’ve not yet written any fiction, although I’ve contemplated the idea.
Give them what’s in a character’s brain… Read More »
Word count: 280 words Reading time: Just over 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. Today’s comes from Ruth Ozeki and her novel A Tale for the Time Being. I read Ruth Ozeki’s latest
Her fingers press against the rag surface of her dream… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. Today I present an image from novelist Linda Spaulding. I’m not sure I fully understand the bubble-bath of praise in which Linda Spalding is reclining. Her book, The Purchase, won the 2012 Canadian Governor General’s
The figurative language of Linda Spaulding… Read More »
