Word count: 697 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do you ever get stopped in your tracks by writing criticism? Here’s how you should deal with that particular type of “black ice”…. I’d heard the dire warnings on the morning news. “The roads are covered with black ice. It’s […]
Beware of black ice Read More »
Word count: 252 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’s weblink focuses on the important task of revision. How much time do you spend revising your
Throw up into your typewriter… Read More »
Word count: 281 words Reading time: Just over 1 minute A great way to improve your writing skills 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 an Anthony Lane New Yorker review of the movie Les
The camera soars on high, the orchestra bellows… Read More »
Reading time: Just over 1 minute I read widely, watch movies and listen to the radio. In today’s post you’ll see an interesting piece of figurative language I’ve encountered recently. It’s from New Yorker writer Lauren Collins. When my family and I went to Paris a year and a half
The figurative language of Lauren Collins… Read More »
Word count: 244 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: obloquy. I have to confess. I’d never heard the word obloquy before reading Salman Rushdie’s autobiography, Joseph Anton. I
Word count: 748 words Reading time: About 3 minutes Many writers tell me they don’t have difficulty writing — they just don’t know WHAT to write about. Here’s a creative solution if that nitty-gritty problem bugs you…. I once had to interview a neuroscientist for an article I was writing.
Hey, fill in some blanks! Read More »
Word count: 370 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 focus on a new offering from Constance Hale. If Constance Hale writes it, I
Why you should vex, hex, smash and smooch Read More »
Word count: 373 words Reading time: Just over 1 minute A great way to improve your writing skills 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 the novel Capital, by John Lanchester. I hadn’t heard of
Even his tallness appeared a form of ease… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I read widely, watch movies and listen to the radio. In today’s post you’ll see an interesting piece of figurative language I’ve encountered recently. It’s by Elizabeth Renzetti. My daily newspaper is the Globe and Mail. In last Saturday’s edition, I read an amusing
The figurative language of Elizabeth Renzetti… Read More »
Word count: 283 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: machicolated. I can’t remember where I collected the word machicolated. I think it must have come from a
What does machicolated mean? Read More »
