Today, Gretchen Rubin reminded me that it will soon be National Novel Writing Month again. I’ve written before about my languishing novel, and Rubin suggests a writing bootcamp is just the thing to get a novel finished. Instead of doing a little bit each day, Rubin suggests doing more. That way, your juices get flowing,… Continue Reading
Angela Misri is a Toronto-based author who was recently featured on CBC Radio’s Here and Now. She spoke about her new detective novel, Jewel of the Thames, which features protaganist Portia Adams, a young detective with a Sherlock Holmes connection. Misri tells another story, however, that has captured my attention: her story of writing Jewel… Continue Reading
Amy Einsohn, who passed away recently, is the author of The Copyeditor’s Handbook, a tome beloved by copy editors everywhere (note that we Canadians spell the profession using two words, not one). She had me hooked from the very beginning of the book: in the preface, she discusses coming across the word folderize and attempting… Continue Reading
If you’re a writer who’d like to learn a thing or two about grammar and usage, you can’t go wrong with Strunk and White’s concise classic, The Elements of Style. Another favourite of mine is Line by Line: How to Improve Your Own Writing by Claire Kehrwald Cook. Today I came across a more recent… Continue Reading
The question “What do women want?” was answered years ago by Faith Popcorn. (Is that a great name, or what? It’s as though she played one of those games where you’re bestowed with your special fairy name. Maybe she played the Zen master name game: What’s your personal axiom? “Keep the faith.” What’s your favourite… Continue Reading
Freelancers are always looking for new markets to conquer, and today I discovered a new one: online dating profiles. If you’re familiar with online dating, then you’ve come to expect a little embellishment here and a little downplaying there. That drool-worthy photo of Mr. Right? You know it was probably taken 5 years and 20… Continue Reading
I’ve posted before about enjoying Ali Smith’s writing, and here I go again. There’s no pleasure that compares to curling up with great writing. Some writers express ideas so well that they seem to know what you’re thinking and feeling before you do. This sentiment is expressed by one of the main characters in John… Continue Reading
Terry O’Reilly is an award-winning copywriter and broadcaster. His CBC radio program, “Under the Influence,” focuses on advertising strategies both past and present. Terry always rewards his listeners with the inside scoop behind well-known marketing campaigns. Today Terry revealed that the Aero chocolate bar tagline “Irresistabubble” was coined by none other than Salman Rushdie. That’s… Continue Reading
I’m currently reading Ali Smith’s There but for the, which is one of those books you can’t put down — mainly because Smith’s writing is such a pleasure. Her writing is creative without defaulting to affectation. For me, there’s nothing so tiresome as a relentless display of creativity with the written word — a creativity… Continue Reading
I attended a book study on Richard Rohr’s Falling Upward this afternoon. (I wrote a post about Rohr’s book previously.) Group members discussed “Chapter 4: The Tragic Sense of Life.” The tragic sense of life results from the realization that life is more about disorder and flaws than it is about order and perfection. Accepting… Continue Reading