Word count: 433 words Reading time: Less than 2 minutes 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 Taras Grescoe. The first time I went to New York City, in 1984, I didn’t […]
Performing unscripted drunken operettas… 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, this time focusing on personification. You know, I never fully realized how much I appreciated personification until I started keeping this blog. When in school,
Personification doesn’t need to be reserved for fiction… Read More »
Word count: 299 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: gimcrack. I adore reading. I like well written historical fiction. And I’m particularly fascinated by the Tudor period. Yet for reasons I cannot
What does gimcrack mean? Read More »
Word count: 794 words Reading time: Just over 3 minutes Looking for some book suggestions in time for Christmas? I’ve just reached my goal to read 52 books this year. (For more book suggestions, be sure to check out my list from June, as well.) My habit is to post for you the names of
Recommended books: Christmas 2012 Read More »
Word count: 209 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 look at a piece on writing and Miles Davis. I love extended metaphors. And I love music. Guess what
Have you tried writing with Miles Davis? Read More »
Word count: 345 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 Rachel Joyce, author of the Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry…. I wanted to like the
Neon bled pools of amber light… 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 I’ve encountered recently, this time in a book by Junot Diaz. I’d heard a lot of buzz about Junot Diaz. I knew he was a Dominican-American writer, a
The figurative language of Junot Diaz… Read More »
Word count: 361 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: anacoluthon. When I was in grade 10, an English teacher tortured our class by requiring us to keep a list of “new words” (for
What’s an anacoluthon? Read More »
Word count: 758 words Reading time: About 3 minutes When I remember to use my SAD light, it helps me. But what else am I forgetting about? Vancouver has mostly a temperate climate. Crocuses start to poke through the dirt in late February or early March and people can be found playing tennis outdoors —
Let there be light! Read More »
Word count: 270 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 discover a variant of WrittenKitten! I know just enough about things technical to make myself truly dangerous. I’m not
Searching for writing inspiration? Read More »
