What ultimately matters to the freelance writer, of course, is how many commissions you’re offered.
Read MoreImage by Augusto Ordóñez from Pixabay
The new definition of "cosmetic"
We writers have a duty to do what we can to preserve the dignity of the language in which we work.
Read MoreReview: The New Penguin Book of American Short Stories
It is also worth bearing in mind that some of the best nonfiction writers, notably Gay Talese, make copious use of the fiction writer's tools.
Read MoreReview: Story Craft
An especially useful idea is the ladder of abstraction, which is equivalent, in cinematic terminology, to the level of detail in a scene, from close-up to long shot.
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Review: Index, A History Of The: A Bookish Adventure
This book has two indexes, one computer-generated, the other compiled by an indexer, so you can compare the two.
Read MoreThe get-rich-quick itch (Updated)
I would love to be able to write blog posts or conduct my social media affairs in such a way that I became an overnight sensation, as verified by an astronomical rise in my bank balance. But…
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Photo from lucasbieri. Licence: CCO
Foreword, Preface or Introduction? (Updated)
I was faced with a conundrum: should I write a Preface to the 3rd Edition, a Foreword to the 3rd Edition, or just stuff it all into the Introduction and be done with it?
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If you think it, write it. Photo = Reflections, by Elaine Freedman
Writing for the sake of writing
Dr Johnson said that nobody but a blockhead ever wrote for anything except money. I have a great deal of sympathy with this view, but I don’t altogether agree with it.
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