You might think that writing is only for authors or people who earn a living with their words. That’s not true. Writing is for anyone who needs to focus. Writing is a tool. One of the ways you can use writing is as a way to improve your focus and productivity. Imagine getting fired (or […]
It may be fun to wax lyrical about the nostalgic days of click-clacking away at a typewriter or scrawling your novel into a leather-bound journal, but those romantic ideals are impractical for the modern-day writer. Nowadays, a writer’s laptop is their best friend. Like any best friend, a good laptop should be there for you […]
Michelle Poirier Brown was shortlisted for the Federation of B.C. Writers poetry contest in 2023 Michelle Poirier Brown has been amazed by the writing community in the Okanagan since she moved to Vernon from Victoria Jan. 1, 2022. Her poem, Barefoot in the Salish Sea, was shortlisted for a 2023 Federation of BC Writers Award. […]
Proust lover Trevor Cribben Merrill How do authors get away with shallow, shabby, venal, morally deficient characters who appall us … but nevertheless, we read on? Trevor Cribben Merrill , author of Minor Indignities , explains: “the ‘spirit of the author’ shields the reader from the characters, ‘drawing the poison’ from their negative qualities of […]
‘A Clock stopped’ is not one of Emily Dickinson’s best-known poems, but it uses its central metaphor to explore one of the most salient themes of her poetry: death. Dickinson uses the image of the stopped clock to reflect on the ending of a life and what this means. The clock in the poem is […]
Beach in January. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Licensed Under CC0 4.0 . Every December day that I’m in Maine I swim in the ocean and my husband tells me I’m insane. The temperature keeps dropping. I get two respiratory infections, a twenty-four-hour stomach thing. Why? he says to me. Mom , the children say. They […]
negative tone words Are you familiar with the concept of negative tone words? The mood and emotion conveyed through writing is a key component of what makes it effective, and tone words are a powerful tool at your disposal. This guide focuses exclusively on one type of tone words – negative tone words . These […]
Photo by Yannick Pulver on Unsplash I find the idea of starting something new thrilling. I have learned to embrace the fear that comes along with it. Every time I sit down to begin a project, I always think about those people who go to Coney Island on New Year’s Day—the members of the Polar […]
Photo: Bryan Tarnowski/Bryan Tarnowski Every time I turn around, Jami Attenberg has published another novel or memoir. But I do not begrudge her this, because I know how she does it. For years, Jami has enlisted conspirators in writing a thousand words a day, come hell or high water. Today, she’s out with another book […]
Showrunner/writer/director/EP Issa López on the set of “True Detective: Night Country.” If you love to yarn-wall a show, True Detective: Night Country gives plenty of reason to dust off the pushpins. With the premiere episode, HBO/Max has resurrected the dormant crime anthology series, offering a fresh mystery deep in the icy Alaskan terrain. Jodie Foster […]
