Writing tips and techniques
Why it worked: A rhetorical analysis of Obama’s speech on race
The National Conference of Teachers of English (NCTE) has declared today a National Day on…
4 ways to break through writer’s block
Good writing may be magical, but it's not magic. It's a series of actions and…
2 ways to put numbers in context
In honor of Pi Day on March 14 (Pi is approximately 3.14159 — the ratio…
9 ways to review and revise your writing
It's easy to equate revision with failure. “If I knew what I were doing, I'd…
Why I always play music during writing workshops
The most fun I have as a teacher is when I can incorporate music into…
How one young Canadian reporter in Haiti helped turn Twitter into a storytelling tool
Twitter launched in 2006 and in less than a decade has almost 300 million users.…
Coming clean: notes on becoming an honest writer
I’ve written four books since 2006, and I’m at work on another. But for every…
When cows type: the power of the written word
My friend and Poynter colleague Chip Scanlan has called me many things over the years,…
The Shakespeare sentence that changed my writing – and can change yours
Although we do not know the exact day William Shakespeare was born, we celebrate his…
Making the familiar strange: the legacy of journalist and novelist Gabriel García Márquez
This morning, on the front page of the Tampa Bay Times, I read the news…
Why these are the ‘Ten Best Sentences’
The editors of American Scholar have chosen “Ten Best Sentences” from literature, and readers have…
A new explanatory journalism can be built on a strong foundation
I like young writers with big ideas. I met Ezra Klein last year at a…