The Shakespeare sentence that changed my writing – and can change yours
In praise of the Bard on the 450th anniversary of his birth.
View ArticleWhen cows type: the power of the written word
A children's book helps teach writers about the First Amendment.
View ArticleComing clean: notes on becoming an honest writer
I’ve written four books since 2006, and I’m at work on another. But for every book that reaches publication, I have at least one (sometimes two or three) proposals rejected. One of them was to be...
View ArticleHow one young Canadian reporter in Haiti helped turn Twitter into a...
This week marks the fifth anniversary of the Haiti earthquake disaster.
View ArticleWhy I always play music during writing workshops
The most fun I have as a teacher is when I can incorporate music into writing instruction. (Photo by Armondo Solares) I was 46 years old, and my life and time were filled by three pursuits: teaching...
View ArticleWhy it worked: A rhetorical analysis of Obama’s speech on race
An X-ray reading of the allusions, patriotic associations and parallel constructions in the speech. The post Why it worked: A rhetorical analysis of Obama’s speech on race appeared first on Poynter.
View Article9 ways to review and revise your writing
It’s easy to equate revision with failure. “If I knew what I were doing, I’d get it right the first time,” many writers think. Revision is the best friend a writer can have. The trick is to use...
View Article2 ways to put numbers in context
In honor of Pi Day on March 14 (Pi is approximately 3.14159 — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter), today’s Coffee Break Course celebrates math. When reporting on numbers, give...
View Article4 ways to break through writer’s block
Good writing may be magical, but it’s not magic. It’s a series of actions and decisions that can be observed, learned and repeated. If you find yourself stuck, try these tips. Lower your standards (at...
View ArticleWhen the topic is tough, frame it as a ‘mystery’ to be solved
With so much information hitting us about COVID-19, it is a tribute to the work of public writers across the globe that so much of it is reliable. Disinformation and propaganda aside, we will always...
View Article
