Writing

The crashing magic of sound symbolism

Or, Things That Go Doink in the Night

Nov 25 •

Brain training with an ex-parrot

The synonymia is a figure that can temporarily liberate us from our smartphones.

Nov 21 •

Why we all should read the unlikeable H.L. Mencken.

His unbeatable American prose can hone your style to a cutting edge.

Nov 18 •

Magic in the Great Green Room

You will find almost all of rhetoric's power in this one children’s book.

Nov 11 •

Meet the Feghoot, a pun-enabled shaggy dog

Tell a story that makes bogs dark and Britannia waive the rules.

Nov 7 •

Write first, think later.

Or: How sexy geology changed my life.

Oct 31 •

Tropes weaponize everything.

So why do I love them? And what exactly is a trope?

Oct 28 •

A persuasive occasion has four trenches.

Known as "status theory," they're key to any argument over dishwasher loading.

Oct 24 •

Stop telling young writers to find their voice.

Instead, use this exercise to let them channel other voices.

Oct 21 •

Pronouns without antecedents ruin everything.

I’m looking at you, They.

Sep 26 •

The college essay shouldn’t be wasted on college.

Besides persuading college admissions officers, it can serve as an act of self-discovery.

Sep 23 •

Is there such a thing as good grammar?

And when should a kid learn it?

Sep 19 •

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