Henry Hitchings’ article in the Wall Street Journal regarding the changes in punctuation over the ages is so interesting I am willing to send you away from this site to read it…
October 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Misusing language
One of the quickest way to lose intelligent readers is to misuse English in your book. This is a site that is full of common examples. The entries are clear and concise; they won’t make you feel like an idiot if you’ve been guilty of any… Here’s an example: ACRONYMS AND APOSTROPHES One unusual modern [...]
October 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Taking Stock: A Good Starting Point
Today is “Erev Yom Kipur,” the eve of the Jewish Day of Atonement. It is the holiest day of the year for Jews–the conclusion of ten days of spiritual “inventory-taking” that began on the Feast of Trumpets, now known as Rosh HaShana, the beginning of the lunar year. All Jewish holidays–indeed, all days–begin at sundown [...]
October 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment
MindManager 9 for the Mac: A worthwhile update
I’ve used MindManager on both the Mac and the PC from its earliest versions. (The story of how it was developed by Mike and Bettina Jetter while Mike was undergoing leukemia treatments is amazing; read the book.) It is the most popular mindmapping software on the market today. Mindmapping in Wikipedia: “A mind map is [...]
June 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Reviews that illuminate the subjects of their books
In this Financial Times piece, I find a wonderful and thoughtful positioning of “The Elements of Style” in the general rules of engagement for writers. If you are serious about your writing, you deserve to read and understand it. (Thanks to Anu Garg, and the irreplaceable A.Word.A.Day, for the link.)
May 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Another take on how to write a book
Michael Lopp, a Silicon Valley engineering manager, writes a blog (randsinrepose). He has also written two books, Managing Humans and Being Geek. In this piece, he writes about his approach to book-writing. While I like my approach better–more orderly, faster results–there is much to love and learn from in what Michael writes. Check it out. [...]