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 New York Times Magazine piece on writer John McPhee…. I first heard of writer John […]
Considering John McPhee… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Do you have enough mental toughness for writing? If not, here are four suggestions about how to increase it…. Have you ever noticed the similarities between writing and making music or exercising? Each of these activities requires practice, commitment and repetition and we get
Four ways to build mental toughness for writing Read More »
Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Here are 10 boredom cures — also known as writing tips — that can help any writer have a bit more verve…. I sometimes find myself getting bored when I write. This feeling is not the end of the world, but it’s not very
How to save yourself from boredom while writing Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a simile relating to the John Dory fish… I can no longer remember where I recently encountered the term John Dory — a book? a newspaper
It looks a little bit like a horseshoe that sprouted quills… 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: hotchpotch… I picked up the book Spill, Simmer, Falter, Wither by Sara Baume on the shelf of my local library mainly because it was
What’s a ‘hotchpotch’? Read More »
Reading time: About 4 minutes Looking for some recommended books in time Christmas gift-giving? Here’s my semi-annual roundup — this time of books I’ve read since June. I aim to read 52 books every 12 months and my habit is to post the names of them for you, twice a year.
Recommended books: Winter 2016 Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a series of similes from Wesley Morris. Even while on holiday (as I was for much of the month of August), I read the New York Times on
Like buttah and satin… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a metaphor from Timothy Gallwey… I must have read the book The Inner Game of Tennis some 30 years ago, even though I’ve never played the game. by W.
Do not criticize seeds as rootless and stemless… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a simile from Hilma Wolitzer… The book, A Story Larger Than My Own, edited by Janet Burroway, carries the intriguing subtitle: Women Writers Look Back on Their Lives and Careers.
Words fall off and roll out of sight… Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute I like to share interesting pieces of figurative language I encounter in my reading. I write today about a metaphor from Rebecca Solnit… If you’re familiar with my blog you’ll know that I am an inveterate walker. Not only do I always walk to get my
Three notes suddenly making a chord… Read More »
