Here are seven handy techniques with which to enrich your writing. Used sparingly, they can be very effective at bringing a piece to life.
Read More7 useful literary techniques
Language
Review: Waterhouse on newspaper style
This book may be thirty years old, but its advice is still pertinent. If you want to have a blitz or crackdown against, or shake-up of, bad writing (all examples of 'tabloidese'), then this is the book for you.
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Why would anyone write badly?
Why do some writers write badly? Plus links to examples of bad writing.
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Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
What "interesting" REALLY means (or might do)
in Language
When did “interesting” become a synonym for “useful”? If anything, when the word “interesting” is used by an English person, usually means the opposite.
Read MoreLanguage Barrier
Here’s a piece of writing I submitted for a creative writing course at the City Lit. It was received quite well, and one of the other students said it was the most accurate description of Santa Monica that she’d ever read. Others liked the dialogue. Me? I still chuckle over the misunderstanding about drive-in movies!
Read MoreWriting the Oulipo: A Taster
This course will look at examples of constraints created by some of the Oulipo’s main proponents, including the Hundred Thousand Billion Sonnets, the Metro Poem, and others.
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Terry, thinking
Language and meaning 2: the need for precision
in Language
Since when has “discreet” meant “small”?
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Conversing, by Terry Freedman
Language and meaning
in Language, News & views
A girl I taught was highly intelligent, very helpful and had a great sense of humour. Unfortunately, though, whenever she disagreed with somebody she immediately flew into a temper, insulted them and told them to go forth and multiply — though rather more crudely than that. I imagine she has a huge following on Twitter these days, as that seems to be the main way of “communicating” for a lot of people.
Read MoreThe primary duty of a translator
When you pick up an English edition of a foreign language book, you have to rely on the good intentions and skill of the translator. But can they be trusted?
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Not sure, by Terry Freedman
Minding our language
Using words correctly is essential. Why?
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Video surveillance: another example of tech-inspired jargon? Photo by Terry Freedman
Technology-inspired words
New words are always interesting, I think, and not just the ones that have been inspired by technology. But before I say any more about that, I feel the need to get something off my chest. Don’t worry, I won’t make this a long post: the last thing I want is people tweeting me to say TL;DR (too long; didn’t read).
Read MoreHow to appear erudite in writing
How can a writer’s choice of words convey a false impression of their knowledge of the topic in question?
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Buzzsaw screenshot, by Terry Freedman
Bad PR jargon, and how to detect it
If you’re tired of people “reaching out” or “circling back” or sending you sales “literature” that bears no relevance to you whatsoever, you will enjoy learning that you’re not alone.
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Click the cover to see the book on Amazon (affiliate link)
Review: A-Z of Storytelling Techniques
As the title suggests, this book comprises 50 “techniques” of storytelling.
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Cure, by Terry Freedman
Signs of the times
Signs in the environment can provide great stimulation for our imagination, and tell us about history in some cases too.
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Click the cover to see the book on Amazon (affiliate link)
Review of the Oulipo Compendium
Review of the Penguin Book of Oulipo
The word Oulipo is an acronym of a French group, Ouvroir de littérature potentielle. This is usually translated as Workshop of Potential Literature, although given its association with the sharing and critique of work on creative writing courses, the word ‘workshop’ might be ditched in favour of ‘work room’.
Read MoreRevoke of the Penny Borough of Ourselves
One of the techniques employed by the Oulipo is known as N+7. This is where you take each noun, and replace it with a word that is seven words on in the dictionary. Of course, results vary according to what dictionary you use. The following article is an N+7 version of my review of the Penguin Book of Oulipo. Enjoy!
Read MoreGood reading for would-be good writers
I’ve spent the last term on a course called Great European Short Stories. Here are my views on the course, the tutor, and the other courses of his that I’ve attended.
Read MoreMind your language (2): A strange sign
in Language
Perhaps I shouldn’t take things so literally…
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