Writing drills or exercises have a bad name in the professional world. They should be thought of as warm-ups like those Olympic athletes and professional musicians practice. You need them to hone your game. Read more
The TV show “Better Call Saul” uses a powerful literary technique: presenting objects as not only things in themselves but also as symbols. While rarely discussed, this novelistic device can make your writing stand out. Read more
The word “rhetoric” has a messed-up etymology. It represents the opposite of its original meaning. Aristotle defined the word as “effective writing or speaking”; think Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Yet rhetoric connotes sophistry or “empty” and “phony” words. How can our words reflect true rhetoric rather than sophistry? In a word, sincerity. Read more
For professional writers who read William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White’s “The Elements of Style,” there is a sad, unsettling reality. The popular writing guide omits the most important writing principle, the superstar principle, the principle that wins you readers and paychecks alike. Read more
On January 22, 1973, Howard Cosell, ABC television’s announcer for the heavyweight-title boxing match between champion Joe Frazier and challenger George Foreman, uttered what may be the most famous line in the sport’s history. “Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!” Cosell said after the 214-pound pugilist fell to the canvas in the first round of their bout in Kingston, Jamaica. Read more
Ernest Hemingway’s writing style is always being described as “distinctive” and “muscular.” It’s easy to see why. He avoided adverbs and used strong verbs and short, declarative sentences. How he polished and perfected his style is, as you may imagine, a more difficult question. Read more
For Christmas, my daughters gave me The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History by John M. Barry. I was glad they did… Talk about timely and relevant! How better to gain perspective than reading about the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 to 1919? Read more
