Word count: 271 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 by another writer that I’d happily imitate. Today’s comes from Calvin Tompkins. My mother was an artist. Her medium? First, pottery although […]
His mouth opens wide in a soundless laugh… 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 by Adam Green I’ve encountered recently. I have a weakness for sleight-of-hand. As nothing more than a clumsy writer myself, I admire people who can climb up on
The figurative language of Apollo Robbins… Read More »
Word count: 374 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: giddy. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo reads like a novel. In fact, it’s a true story — in the fashion of narrative
Word count: 308 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 piece about outlining… A reader this week sent me a link to a New York Times
Why you should do your outlining in reverse Read More »
Word count: 275 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 Tim Kreider. I don’t have a subscription to the online New York Times, although I have
You are going to die 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 from writer John Seabrook. I lost touch with popular music in about, oh, 1982. Yes, I have become my parents. That said, I do listen
The figurative language of John Seabrook… Read More »
Word count: 311 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: scofflaws. In my community paper this week I encountered a word that I know and love. Said the article: The city of Vancouver
What are scofflaws? Read More »
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 a skating rink out there.”
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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 writing? If you’re like many
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 Miserables. I’ve never read any
The camera soars on high, the orchestra bellows… Read More »
