Word count: 232 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: lèse-majesté . I was in grade 6 when Richard Nixon was elected to office. I was too young for him to have much of […]
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Word count: 641 words How did you fall in love with writing? Here is my story…. I’ve sounded off many times about the difficulties I’ve had with writing – the horror of producing my honours’ thesis, my mean Scottish editor, and my struggle to stop editing while I wrote. But I don’t think I’ve ever
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Word count: 271 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 look at a new book on introverts. If you’re a writer you might want to take a look at
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Word count: 297 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 is by Adam Gopnik. I’ve long admired the writing of Adam Gopnik, and not just because he
A glint-eyed scientist with a tiny box… 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 John McPhee that I encountered recently. Many years ago I mentored a young student. He took off to journalism school in New York City and, when he
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Word count: 274 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: virescent. I’m re-reading Spunk and Bite right now — a marvellous book on writing by the inimitable Art Plotnik. Let me tell you: I
Word count: 756 words Reading time: About 3 minutes We all have writing troubles. But how deeply do you understand your own problems?…. The US Department of Transportation has proposed that all new cars be required to have a brake override. The purpose? To disable the accelerator when the brake pedal is pressed. This is
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Word count: 263 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, I look at the topic of time management in a new book by Elizabeth Grace Saunders. I’ve told you before that I’m
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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 »
