http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/?utm_source=rss Writers Talk About Writing Copyright 2008, Thinkmap Inc. All Rights Reserved. en Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/images/common/logo_on_white.gif http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/?utm_source=rss Search for a word in the Visual Thesaurus word http://www.visualthesaurus.com Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1376?utm_source=rss Daphne Gray-Grant's advice and wisdom about writing has made her a sought-after writing coach -- and one of our most popular columnists here at the Visual Thesaurus. Now Daphne's bundled her know-how into a new book: 8½ Steps to Writing Faster, Better. We love this book. A concise, easy-to-digest and, most importantly, easy-to-put-into-action guide, every writer -- student to professional -- can profit from it. We spoke to Daphne about her book and how to write, well, faster and better! Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1376 Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1372?utm_source=rss Like music, writing has rhythm. Think of Shakespeare. He wrote his plays in iambic pentameter: Da dum, da dum, da dum, da dum, da dum. Okay, I know you're not Shakespeare but you and yours sales letter or your school essay or your e-zine article have rhythm too -- whether you know it or not. The beat that exists behind your writing is a key part of what we call your writing voice. It makes your work unique and recognizable. It expresses your personality. It's part of what makes you, you. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1372 Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1338?utm_source=rss Although, as noted by the Book of Ecclesiastes, there is nothing new under the sun, there is something newish in the world of mindmapping. And I'm thrilled to be able to share it with you. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1338 Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1329?utm_source=rss After reading author John Elder Robison's inspiring Backstory about his memoir Look Me in the Eye, we wanted to learn more about what makes this particular writer tick. How did he go from touring with KISS to repairing luxury cars to writing his acclaimed book about living with Asperger's syndrome? So we called him and had a fascinating conversation about writing, storytelling, and touching readers' lives though a memoir: Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1329 Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1286?utm_source=rss What if I told you there was a simple, sitting-under-your-nose technique that would increase your writing speed, improve your coherence and dramatically enhance your audience's ease of reading. Would you use it? Yes, you'd say. Tell me more! But listen, my friends, you already know about it. I'm talking about bullets, the unsung heroes of the print world. Why are bullets so effective? Glad you asked! Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1286 Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1263?utm_source=rss When my 13-year-old son recently used the word schadenfreude in casual conversation, I snapped to attention. "Where on earth did he learn that?" I wondered. This marvelous but obscure German word, which means "to feel joy at another's misfortune," is hardly everyday fodder for teenagers. Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1263 Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1238?utm_source=rss Have you ever wondered why some people write easily and fluently, while others struggle and strain as if trying to squeeze a 185-lb body into a size six pair of jeans? In 30 years at this trade, I've noticed that effective writers tend to share seven traits. So, with apologies to Stephen Covey, here is my list. Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1238 Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1203?utm_source=rss Oration. Recitation. Rhetoric. At one time these were the foundations of a classical literary education, an education that not only prepared you to write and communicate -- but taught you how to think. This style of learning, however, has largely gone the way of the top hat. But is it time for rhetoric to make a reprise? We had a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation with Harvard Professor James Engell, author of The Committed Word: Literature and Public Values, who revived the study of rhetoric at his university after a 60 year hiatus -- and who argues that a classical literary education is critical for today's communicators. Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1203 Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1146?utm_source=rss In a dark and gloomy pit, deep in the bowels of the earth, a large and strongly muscled man rolls a heavy boulder up a steep hill. The task takes him the entire day. But when he gets to the top, ooophhhh, the stone escapes his grasp and rolls right back down to the bottom. So the next day he must begin all over again. If you received a classical education, or if you simply enjoy mythology, you will recognize this story as the myth of Sisyphus from the Greeks. Poor Sisyphus never catches a break. The same damn stone rolls down the same hill every night and he must push it right back up again the next day. For eternity. So, my question to writers: Why are you behaving like Sisyphus? Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1146 Word Count http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1096?utm_source=rss One of my nerdy little hobbies is collecting quotes about writing by famous authors. But I just don't collect them -- I read them, regularly. I find that reading a good quote is a bit like a shot of Vitamin B, or, even, a splash of cold water in the face. It energizes you -- by helping you resolve to do better. At other times, a pithy quote is more like a tour guide pointing out an important bit of scenery in a strange country. "Oh, that's what I should be noticing," you say to yourself. Finally, the telling quote can also be a laugh line -- a chance to guffaw at your own writing foibles (much more effective than crying over them). Here are eight of my favorite quotes, collected over the last year: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wc/1096