Word count: 706 words Reading time: Less than 3 minutes People often ask me how much writing success I attribute to hard work versus talent. But few people think to question the element of luck. Here’s the role I think it plays… A friend of mine, who’s travelled widely in S.E. Asia, recently told me […]
Is your writing “lucky” enough? Read More »
Word count: 219 words 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 writers. Today I share a piece of writing advice from Deborah Moggach in the Telegraph. I have not read a single Deborah
Don’t go online until lunch… Read More »
Word count: 282 words Reading time: About 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 Emma Donoghue. The novel Room by Emma Donoghue, is the kind of jaw-dropping, fantastical tale that propels
So much of motherhood is acting… Read More »
Reading time: about 1.5 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. Today’s comes from Rivka Galchen. The May 13/13 New Yorker story, “Every Disease on Earth” (I can’t provide a link because the article is locked and even the online summary is currently unavailable) aspires to tell
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Word count: 241 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: cudgel. I have to confess: I’ve never been a Star Trek fan. (Nor a Lord of the Rings fan, either, I admit.) Fantasy leaves
Word count: 741 words Reading time: About 3 minutes How did it get so late so soon, asked Dr. Seuss. Whether I’m walking or writing, I often marvel at the amount of time that’s slipped by. But is writing time worth it? Let’s see. When I was a child, our neighbour, Mr. Beach, regularly strode
Why I spend precious hours writing Read More »
Word count: 321 words Reading time: About 1.5 minutes 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 New York Times “Opinionator” piece by Rachel Howard. When I attended my first-ever writing workshop, more than 30 years
Why we should find the gesture Read More »
Word count: 212 words Reading time: Less than 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 Sebastian Barry. I’ve gone on a bit of a splurge with Irish literature, lately. First,
A sort of dark, private crying… Read More »
Reading time: About 1.5 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. Today’s comes from Emily Nussbaum. Several years ago I enjoyed many guilty laughs over the British film, In the Loop. A crass and funny black comedy about British politics during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the
The figurative language of Emily Nussbaum… Read More »
Word count: 208 words 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: spruiking. I had never before heard the word spruiking. I won’t pretend I stumbled across it in my reading. Instead, one of my
What is spruiking? Read More »
