Advice to aspiring writers usually includes these words: "Write more." More words. More pages. More chapters, poems, articles.

But I have a different suggestion: To become a better writer, write less.

No, not less frequently. But with fewer words. Lots fewer. As in... no more than 140 characters' worth.

What? And why?  Continue reading...

If your interest is piqued by Nancy Friedman's introduction to TwitterLit (TwitLit? Twitterature?), check out more on these "byte-sized stories" from Ars Technica.

Summer's not officially over, but now that Labor Day is past and the kids are off to school, it's a good time to look back at the latest batch of estival vocabulary. Back in June I made a case for skadoosh, a fanciful word from the movie Kung Fu Panda, as a candidate for Word of the Summer. And in an interview in July on Wisconsin Public Radio, I discussed some other summery words, from skinterns (scantily dressed Washington D.C. interns) to lawnmower beer (light refreshing beer brewed for easy consumption after a day of yardwork). But like it or not, the one new word that has trumped all others in the Summer of 2008 is staycation, the media-driven coinage for a stay-at-home vacation.  Continue reading...

Long before Twitter, writers have been trying to write fiction as tersely as possible.

The World's Shortest Stories

Micro Fiction

Flash Fiction

Sudden Fiction

Move over, Jane Austen. The Brontë sisters have a strong following in the blogosphere.

BrontëBlog

Brontë Parsonage Blog

Brontëana

Brussels Brontë Blog

A rare public appearance a few weeks ago by an obscure adjective got us thinking about how English deals with shapes. Here's what we found.  Continue reading...