I love writers who introduce me to new words (I’m looking at you, Rex Murphy and Conrad Black). I recently discovered the word irenic (“no irenic third way”) in a well written and well researched article by Reverend Joe Boots in Jubilee, a local magazine. (Sorry about the magazine cover — it’s absolutely execrable.) Irenic… Continue Reading
When editing copy, sometimes a lot of questions come up — about usage, clarity, consistency, etc. It’s often necessary for the editor to ask the author to clarify something. Sounds like a simple enough process, right? Ask a question, get a response. Wrong. I bet you’ve received an email that rubbed you the wrong way… Continue Reading
Happy New Year! I hope, like me, you’re psyched for 2014. One of the most important things I’ve done in the last couple of years is write (and edit and edit and edit) my personal mission statement. When I’m depressed or scared or plain old grumpy, I recite my mission statement to ground myself and… Continue Reading
The best thing about goodreads? The reviews! For every book I love or hate, a visit to goodreads is mandatory to confirm both my biases and the folly of those who have an opposing opinion. Recently I was checking out the reviews for Copernicus Avenue, and one reviewer lamented that the book was poorly copy… Continue Reading
Author Lynn Coady was awarded the Giller Prize last night for her short story collection, Hellgoing. I’m encouraging everyone to read her backlist, which includes several novels with memorable characters — no one captures Maritime life like her (she was raised in Cape Breton). Congratulations, Lynn Coady. It was a long time coming!
I just returned from dropping my daughter off at the local subway station, where she and her fellow Girl Guides are selling cookies. They do this every year, and I was struck by the memory of walking her to the station last year. I tore my ACL last October, and walking was excruciating. The subway… Continue Reading
I just tweeted my first TwitterStory this morning. All 10 posts are 140 characters or less. The spacing was more cramped in my actual Twitter posts. Here it is: I’ve always been a sucker for a girl who gets her hands dirty, and this girl’s hands were plenty dirty. It was the first thing I… Continue Reading