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  1. "Bad Language"

     Short Words are Best
    Mon May 22 00:00:00 EDT 2006
    We've long suspected it, but now we have proof. Long words make you sound stupid and short words are best.

    I'm fed up with people stealing my brain. Over here, in merrie olde England, it is illegal to misuse people's computers, for example, by infecting them with viruses. But for some reason I haven't figured out yet, it is not illegal for bad writers to corrupt my neurons, waste my mental capacity and steal my time with shoddy prose.

  2. Blog Excerpts

     A Writer's Toolbox
    Fri May 19 00:00:00 EDT 2006

    This entry comes The Mechanic & the Muse , "an owners manual for writers" -- the terrific blog of respected journalist, columnist and teacher Chip Scanlan. It appeared on 3/6/6.

    In his autobiography-cum-writing manual "On Writing," Stephen King recalls the summer day when he helped his Uncle Oren fix a broken screen at the back of his house. Uncle Oren was a carpenter and, like all craftsmen, he had a receptacle to hold his tools. King's description is lyrical:

  3. Contest

     And You Thought Hat Hair Was Bad
    Fri May 19 00:00:00 EDT 2006
    Dear subscribers, do you have a severe case of  Writer's Desk? Here's a photo of my -- your editor's -- disaster of a desk while I was putting together a piece about Japan last year for a big newspaper. What does your desk look like when you're writing? Send us a photo. We'll choose our favorite Writer's Desk and post it on our site. We'll send the winner a super cool Visual Thesaurus t-shirt.

  4. Candlepower

     Take the Marketing Out of It
    Wed May 17 00:00:00 EDT 2006
    Coudal Partners is a small, super-creative design, ad and interactive studio based in Chicago. A few years ago the firm had, well, a creative idea for its website: Take the marketing out of it. So instead of featuring portfolios, client lists, press releases and awards online, they started publishing an eclectic, interactive magazine about visual design, marketing, advertising and much more. The site buzzes with new thinking, guest editors, contests, even a "museum of online museums." It certainly made an impact: Some 40,000 people now visit Coudal.com each day. Should you consider this take-the-marketing-out-of-it approach for your site, too? Listen to what Coudal's Steve Delahoyde has to say.

  5. Blog Du Jour

     Mysterious Blogs
    Wed May 17 00:00:00 EDT 2006

    Mystery writer Sparkle Hayter's favorite blogs:

    Arts & Letters Daily. I learn the most interesting things here, and they have great newspaper links too

    The Hotel Chelsea Blog. It's well-written and full of 20th century art history. I'd read it even if I hadn't lived there for a decade.

    The Make Blog. How to make just about anything.

    Ze's Blog. A great time waster, lots of links to Ze's creations, such a the classic "how to dance properly", as well as links to other excellent sites.

    Don't forget: Send us your favorite blogs -- and tell us why you like 'em. Email us.

  6. Word Count

     Writing on Location
    Mon May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2006

    Let's get the first question out of the way: Yes, it's her real name.

    Sparkle Hayter is a writer now finishing her sixth -- and final, she says -- installment of her popular "Robin Hudson" mystery novels. Originally from Canada, Sparkle now lives in Paris. She likes to write in cafes, just like Hemingway did. She also reported for the Toronto Star as a war correspondent. Just like Hemingway did. (She, in Afghanistan. He, of course, in Spain.) "People keep finding the parallels," she says. "But he was humorless and macho. That's a big difference."

    Sparkle's latest novel is set in her new hometown. It's full of humor and Robin's cool not macho. Sparkle moved to Paris five years ago after living in New York City. It was more than just a change of scenery -- it changed the way she wrote. We caught up with her in Paris:

  7. Dog Eared

     Writing Paris
    Mon May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2006

    Mystery novelist and Paris resident Sparkle Hayter recommends these three books about her beloved adopted city:

    Seven Ages of Paris by Alistair Horne

    Paris Babylon by Rupert Christiansen

    This is Paris by Miroslav Sasek

  8. Backstory

     Bill Gordon, author of "Mary After All"
    Sat May 13 00:00:00 EDT 2006

    I grew up in Jersey City during the 1970s, a somewhat bizarre, often hyper-insightful world where, amidst the urban blight and screwed-up politics, people were judged not by what they did for a living, or what they did to the rest of the world, or even for their larger "reputations," but rather by how they treated you directly. And so it was not uncommon to hear bluntly, within the same sentence, of a "kind" and "gentle" hit man or a "rotten, selfish" priest.

  9. Blog Excerpts

     How to be an Expert
    Sat May 13 00:00:00 EDT 2006

    Creating Passionate Users is a remarkable blog written by the authors of the best-selling Head First computer book series. They're passionate about studying how the brain works -- and how to exploit it for better learning and memory. This entry appeared on 3/3/06.

    The only thing standing between you-as-amateur and you-as-expert is dedication. All that talk about prodigies? We could all be prodigies (or nearly so) if we just put in the time and focused. At least that's what the brain guys are saying. Best of all--it's almost never too late.

  10. Teachers at Work

     Double Duty
    Wed May 10 00:00:00 EDT 2006

    When Sharon Simeon isn't teaching special ed at a Flint, Michigan, elementary school, she's working on her second masters at a local university. We asked her how Visual Thesaurus helps her in -- both -- of her classrooms.

342 343 344 345 346 Displaying 3431-3440 of 3488 Results