Word count: 234 words Reading time: Less than 1 minute A great way to improve your writing skills is to emulate the work of others. Here is a paragraph I read recently that I’d happily imitate. The novel The Hand that First Held Mine, by Maggie O’Farrell, offers a refined […]
Particular attention to demonstrating surprise… Read More »
Word count: 266 words Reading time: About 1 minute If you increase your vocabulary you’ll not only help your reading, you’ll also make your writing more precise. Here is my word of the week: prolixity. One of the many great things about reading The New Yorker is that it allows
What is prolixity? Read More »
Word count: 753 words Reading time: About 3 minutes There are some funny similarities between writing and practicing piano…. I desperately wanted piano lessons as a child. Too bad for me my parents couldn’t afford them. Instead, I watched enviously as my classmates carried their music books under their arms
What practicing piano teaches you about writing Read More »
Word count: 277 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. A participant in my Extreme Writing Makeover course alerted me that she was writing a book
Becoming an academic writer Read More »
Word count: 238 words Reading time: Less than 1 minute A great way to improve your writing skills is to emulate the work of others. Here is a sentence I read recently that I’d happily imitate. I received the marvellous book Swallowing the Sea, by Lee Upton, as a birthday
A dare that begins with a writing prompt… Read More »
Word count: 281 words Reading time: Just over 1 minute If you increase your vocabulary you’ll not only help your reading, you’ll also make your writing more precise. Here is my word of the week. I like understanding medical terminology. It somehow makes me feel as though I’ve infiltrated a
Word count: 746 words Reading time: About 3 minutes I’m a big believer in templates and systems. But what should you do if your writing process suddenly stops working for you? I really struggled with writing the last two issues of Power Writing. (I’m hoping you didn’t notice.) Ironically, those
What do to when your writing process fails you Read More »
Word count: 400 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. If you ever need to do some essay writing for senior high school or college/university, be sure to get yourself a
The moves that matter in essay writing Read More »
Word count: 238 words Reading time: Less than 1 minute A great way to improve your writing skills is to emulate the work of others. Here is a sentence I read recently that I’d happily imitate. Lee Upton is an American poet who also writes literary criticism and non-fiction. A
That astonishing thing: writing a novel… Read More »
Word count: 222 words Reading time: Less than 1 minute If you increase your vocabulary you’ll not only help your reading, you’ll also make your writing more precise. Here is my word of the week. My friend Marcelle, sent me a link to a public radio post because she liked
What is senescence? Read More »
