Word count: 329 words Reading time: About 1.5 minutes A great way to improve your writing skills is to emulate the work of others. Here is a sentence I read recently written by Gay Talese (pictured right.) I was unable to go to journalism school. My university, UBC, where in […]
The camera-like eye of Gay Talese Read More »
Reading time: About 1.5 minutes I read widely, watch movies and listen to the radio. Here, catch an interesting piece of figurative language I’ve encountered recently. For many years, I subscribed to the magazine Cook’s Illustrated. I liked its old-fashioned appearance, complete with botanic drawings and the kind of fonts
Cook’s Illustrated dissed by NY Times Read More »
Word count: 215 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. When I read Cal Newport’s book So Good They Can’t Ignore You last month, I
What does heuristic mean? Read More »
Word count: 642 words Reading time: About 2.5 minutes If you want to produce effective writing, stop looking at your writing and start considering what you’re actually doing! What’s the trick to effective writing? I think the biggest secret is to stop focusing on the product – the piece of writing
The secret sauce to effective writing Read More »
Word count: About 288 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. If you have ever complained about not having enough time to write, I urge you
You have more time than you think Read More »
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 »
