I learned of the term “weasel words” from writer Matt Bell, who thinks he learned it from Gabe Durham. In any event, it’s becoming part of the writing lexicon and what it means, in the creative writing sense, is different than the dictionary.com definition—“words or statements that are intentionally ambiguous or misleading.” Although the words may be ambiguous and may…
Read More
Hunting Weasel Words
The Significance of a Handwritten Note
There is something intimate and special about handwriting. It’s as unique and individual as a fingerprint. It takes more effort than typing, and at some point, each handwritten note will convey the physical presence of someone who’s passed on. In the words of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe— Letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind them….
Read More
Writing Thoughts to Think
I love motivational quotes and mantras. But here was a time when I was embarrassed to admit it. I felt like hanging up an inspirational quote by my desk was kind of like displaying a cliché word art plaque (Live, Laugh, Love people, I do love you). I didn’t want to adorn my office with the stuff of bad self-help…
Read More
10 Ways to Help Authors
Writers hate asking, but they need our help. For many of them, book deals are hard to get, advances are small, publicity budgets are meager, and a writer’s publishing future depends mostly on the love they get from their readers. I’ve come up with some ways to help authors, even if those authors already wrote a NYT bestseller. After all,…
Read More
The First Line of Your Memoir
The first line of your memoir (or essay or novel) might come to you early on, fully formed. Or it might be a line you compose late in your drafting cycles. Either way, at some point you’ll have to evaluate it for the work it’s doing. Your opening sentence is a tone-setter, and you want your approach to the entire…
Read More