The structure of this book is very interesting.
Read MoreQuick look: Hard Rain Falling, by Don Carpenter
The style is plain and simple, and all the more powerful for that.
Read MoreGraphic by Terry Freedman
My North Thames Gas Saga
Quite by chance I’ve been reading about bureaucracy recently — such as in customer (dis)service — and it reminded me of North Thames Gas’s attempts to drive me mad. That was many years ago and North Thames Gas doesn’t even exist any more, but even now the mere mention of a gas company starts my nervous twitch going.
Read MoreTerry Freedman and Fred Terryman discuss the question: What makes a great and successful writer?

This is a transcript of a conversation between Fred Terryman and myself. It’s been lightly edited, with the pauses taken out for ease of reading.
Read MoreNonfiction notebook: Paragraphs I’ve enjoyed writing

Most of my reviews are very positive, and I frequently conclude by recommending the book in question despite my criticisms. However, I do think it’s important to be honest about a book’s or an exhibition’s downsides. I also like to open a review, where possible, with a personal, perhaps humorous, observation.
Read MoreCompare and contrast: A Town Without Time reviewed

The book includes the obituary writer who can hardly wait for his subjects to drop dead so that he can at last see his work in print.
Read MoreCompare and contrast: Pen Names reviewed
Once again I am presenting you with two very slightly different reviews of the same book.
Read MoreCompare and contrast: The Library of Ancient Wisdom reviewed

Once again I am presenting you with two different reviews of the same book.
Read MoreCompare and contrast: Adaptable reviewed
Once again I am presenting you with two very slightly different reviews of the same book. The first is the review I sent in to the editor of Teach Secondary magazine. The second is what was actually published.
Read MoreReflections on language

If it is such an effort to deny that you’ve done anything wrong, then you must be guilty. Otherwise, it would be easy.
Read MoreQuick looks: The Great Exchange: Making the news in early modern Europe
The real history of news is not about a chronology of technological inventions.
Read MoreQuick look: The Penguin Book of Polish Short Stories
The stand-out aspect of this collection for me is the way it has been organised into categories, a brave choice I think.
Read MoreQuick look: The Penguin Book of Bengali Short Stories

These stories really provide a short glimpse into a culture of which I am almost completely ignorant.
Read MoreA 60 second guide on how ro write a product manual
If you have a product that requires a manual, and you wish to write it in-house, I would suggest the following…
Read MoreFree articles (for now)

I have temporaily removed the automatic paywall on my Eclecticism site, thereby freeing up 557 pieces for you to read should you so desire.
Read MoreOulipo word cloud
An upcoming creative writing course
Can creative writing be automated (without using A|).
Read MoreImaginary libraries

How many ways can you organise a library?
Read MoreI have been...

Have you ever thought about all the jobs you’ve had, whether paid for or as a volunteer?
Read MoreReflections: Navigating a book

One of the first things I look for when reviewing a non-fiction book is whether or not it contains an index. If it does, the next thing I check is whether the index is actually useful. This post explains how to create an index in MS Word.
Read MorePointless data

An article I wrote for a client is characterised by 24 pieces of data. More correctly: metadata. So what?
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