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: dovecote…. When I read the word dovecote in John LeCarré’s memoir Pigeon Tunnel, I had no idea how appropriate it was. Here is how he used the […]
What’s a ‘dovecote’? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 3 minutes If you’ve ever spent a weekend afternoon making pickles, you might understand the similarities the task has with writing… I’m a pretty serious cook. In fact, I managed to turn my three kids into picky little foodies by the age of three. (I tried to see it as an
How writing is like making pickles 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 about how to make your content scannable… I read about 80 blogs a week. And whenever I tell people
How to make your content scannable Read More »
Viewing time: 4 mins 29 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 #24, describing how to become a better reader. The post first ran on July 14/17. Transcript: Welcome to The
How to become a better reader (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 similes from Meg Mason… Meg Mason began her writing career as a journalist. She started with newspapers including The Financial Times and The Times, London. Then, she moved to
The figurative language of Meg Mason… 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: coeval… When I read the novel The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon, I enountered more than my usual number of new-to-me words. One I particularly liked the sound
What does ‘coeval’ mean? Read More »
Reading time: About 3 minutes No one is perfect. But it doesn’t make sense to badmouth yourself. If you’re a writer, here’s why (and how) you need to stop putting yourself down… When I was in high school and university, I saw myself as a procrastinator. Not inaccurately. I usually didn’t start essays until the
Stop putting yourself down! Read More »
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 other writers. Today I discuss a blog post about social media time interfering with writing…. Many people tell me they don’t have the time to write.
Is your social media time interfering with writing? Read More »
Viewing time: 3 minutes and 29 seconds 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 #23, addressing how to end a novel. The post first ran on July 7/17. Transcript: Welcome to
All about ending a novel (video) Read More »
Reading time: I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of metaphors from novelist Gary Shteyngart… Author Gary Shteyngart is a really funny guy. Several years ago, I enjoyed his novel Super Sad True Love Story. And, more recently, I lapped up Our
The figurative language of Gary Shteyngart… Read More »
