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Category Archives: Writing on Writing
Writing on Writing: Style It Takes
It’s National Grammar Day! Okay, there went the last vestige of my excitement. Not that there’s anything wrong with grammar, in and of itself. We need a few rules so that the words we set down on the screen, the … Continue reading
Writing on Writing: Finding Your Voice
Ages ago, one of my college professors told a creative writing class, “Nothing ruins writing like going to college.” And while it’s true that the endless grind of essays and term papers can lead to a stilted, overly academic, view … Continue reading
Writing on Writing: Simplify
If you’re looking for advice on writing, there are innumerable books and articles on writing (Well, duh. –Ed.). Having said that, you can easily cut through all of them and narrow the whole pile down to just two items, one … Continue reading
Writing on Writing: Hanukkah Edition
Every language has its expressions that don’t quite translate into English. Saudade, weltschmerz, and other lacunae bedevil translators since there’s no easy one-to-one translation for them. So you can imagine the problem posed by Yiddish. Yiddish is the Marx Brothers to … Continue reading
Writing On Writing: The Nest
You might be wondering what magpies have to do with writing, exactly. To be honest, I’m not altogether sure myself, but I’ve started this thing, so I’m sure I’ll come up with something. Let’s see, birds, birdsongs, feathers, feather your … Continue reading
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Writing on Writing: Help! I’m Stuck!
Every so often, it happens. You stare at a blank page, and… stare. And then stare some more. You go back to your notebooks, then back to staring. You try coffee, tea, warm milk, eight-year-old scotch, late-night phone calls, and … Continue reading
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Writing on Writing: The Audience is Listening
Just the same as nobody writes in a vacuum, nobody writes for a vacuum, either. Nobody writes for the sake of not being read. Nobody–at least no one that I know–writes something with the fervent hope that it’s overlooked or … Continue reading
Writing on Writing: The Ideal Copy
A little while back in this space, I wrote about certain writers and writings acting as inspiration, or permission, for your own efforts. I’d like to take up what I think is the flip side of that particular coin: separating … Continue reading
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Writing on Writing: Let’s Dish.
The dishwasher is the bane of creativity. Just my personal opinion, mind you, but one based on years of evidence. Seeing neatly regimented rows of mugs, bowls, dinner plates and silverware represents lost opportunities; for me, there’s no better time for … Continue reading
Writing on Writing: Permission Slip
Sooner or later, it happens: you’ve read a lot, or listened to hours upon hours of music, or seen enough paintings to fill the MoMA twice over, and a thought comes to you: I could do this. That spark, when … Continue reading