Word count: 191 words Reading time: Less than 1 minute If you build your vocabulary, you’ll not only benefit your reading, you’ll also become more precise in your writing. Here is my word of the week. I’ve never encountered any of Regina O’Melveny‘s poetry but, this summer I read her […]
What’s an “alembic”? Read More »
Word count: 755 words Reading time: About 3 minutes Do you need some writing help? Here’s a clear and plain list of what I can do for you. When I work or volunteer, I never get asked to sell. Instead, I tend to do things that are literary, organizational or
Do you need some writing help? Read More »
Word count: 234 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 introduce you to eggcorns…. My friend Rochelle Triester introduced me to the charming site
It’s the time of year for eggcorns! Read More »
Word count: 251 words Reading time: About 1 minute The best way to improve your writing skills is to emulate the work of others. For this reason I regularly write down sentences I’ve picked up in my own recent reading. I like cleverness and wit in writing. Perhaps this is
A deep respect for the money it loathes… Read More »
Word count: 269 words Reading time: About 1 minute Here I tell you about a piece of technology that can help writers. Do you have the habit of regularly backing up your computer files? No? Let me tell you about my system. I am a backup freak. This isn’t because
How BackBlaze stops me from awfulizing Read More »
Word count: 233 words Reading time: Less than 1 minute If you build your vocabulary, you’ll not only benefit your reading, you’ll also become more precise in your writing. Here is my word of the week, liminality. When I read liminality, an image of a doorway floated through my brain. Here
What is liminality? Read More »
Word count: 758 words Reading time: About 3 minutes If your son or daughter — or you — needs to learn how to write an essay or a shortish report, here is a column you might want to copy and tape to your fridge…. It’s a red-letter day in my household.
How to write an essay without losing your mind Read More »
Word count: 262 words Reading time: 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. I had just finished reading an excellent New Yorker profile of Bruce Sprinsteen when a friend sent
What you can learn from the man who wrote a Bruce Springsteen profile Read More »
Word count: 286 words Reading time: Just over 1 minute The best way to improve your writing skills is to emulate the work of others. For this reason I regularly write down sentences I’ve picked up in my own recent reading. Here is one by Patrick deWitt. The positive buzz
The sound the water made was like a voice…. Read More »
Word count: 323 words Reading time: Just over 1 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. I figure I hit my 10,000 hours of writing a couple of years ago. But
How Malcolm Gladwell helps writers Read More »
