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: ineludible… I often like first novels because, while sometimes flawed, they often display an edge or a nerve that’s sometimes missing from more carefully-crafted second novels. My […]
What does ‘ineludible’ mean? Read More »
Reading time: About 2 minutes Do you spend a lot of time thinking about what a crummy writer you are? I suggest, instead, you make some time to observe your thoughts… I’m in the beginning stages of a new book. And while I have more than 40 years’ experience as a writer and editor, as
Why and how to observe your thoughts Read More »
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 other writers. Today I discuss a video for creatives about self-worth… If you’re a writer who struggles with self-worth, it’s time to take a closer look at
How to draw a cat — a story of self-worth Read More »
Viewing time: 3 mins. 51 secs. The Write Question is a weekly video podcast about writing that I started in 2017 and that ran, more or less weekly, until April 2022. This is a republication of issue #26, describing what the word stet actually means. The post first ran on July 28/17. Transcript: Welcome to
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Reading time: About 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about some similes and metaphors from Australian writer Geraldine Brooks…. Geraldine Brooks is an author and journalist who grew up in Australia but who now lives in the US. She was awarded the
The figurative language of Geraldine Brooks Read More »
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: epiphanic… When I recently learned the meaning of the word epiphanic, I slapped myself over the head for not having figured it out earlier. I encountered the word
What does ‘epiphanic’ mean? Read More »
Reading time: About 4 minutes If you want to write a book be sure to avoid these seven toxic book-writing strategies, because they’ll just gum you up. When I was a child, I was a pack rat. I saved every toy, game, book, piece of paper and photograph. So, my mother (who was actually pretty
Book writing strategies that DON’T work Read More »
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 other writers. Today I discuss a blog post on becoming a better reader. Clients often ask me how they can become better readers. My website already has
Becoming a better reader Read More »
Viewing time: 4 minutes and 1 second The Write Question is a weekly video podcast about writing that I started in 2017 and that ran, more or less weekly, until April 2022. This is a republication of issue #25, describing what you can do with your old writing. The post first ran on July 21/17.
What you can do with your old writing (video) Read More »
Reading time: About 2 minutes I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of metaphors from Louis Bayard… Writer Louis Bayard seems to have a keen interest in the love lives of American presidents. His 2019 book, Courting Mr. Lincoln, took a novelist’s
The figurative language of Louis Bayard… Read More »
