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Christie Blatchford is my Show Don't Tell Writing Guru. The National Post writer shows readers what she wants them to see, instead of spelling it out word by word. This is the hard way to write. But it's the best way. Blatchford ...

I am in the middle of writing the best article ever. At least it was two days ago when I last looked at it. Opening it again this morning, I wondered who had gotten their hands on it. Who stretched the sentences ...

Today in Nova Scotia my dad Russ is being awarded with a Queen's Jubilee Medal to recognize his years of volunteerism. As I think about his big day, which actually makes him cringe with embarrassment because he is a humble guy, I ...

In Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, Eric Metaxas uses the term "lickety-split" to describe the speed at which Hitler announced his choice for a replacement in a key army post. I love it. I don't think Metaxas used lickety-split because his vocabulary isn't ...

Wrestling does not interest me in the least. I never watch it, unless it's happening in my family room in which case the wrestlers get kicked out into the backyard. But I have read about wrestling, simply because the writing was so ...

When I first began to write, I wondered how to come up with story ideas. My friend and fellow writer Sue Careless patiently explained that story ideas were "everywhere!" If you walk by a store window and look at the merchandise, she ...

I had a conversation recently with a fellow writer about being funny. My friend wants to introduce humour into her writing. She's someone who often writes about heavy, political topics, that don't easily lend themselves to hilarity. We don't often chortle over ...

If you are a writer and a parent who has ever used a charming – or not so charming – anecdote about your children to start a story, you’ll want to read Phoebe Maltz Bovy’s article “The Ethical Implications of Parents Writing ...

Writing awards are sweet and sour. Like my mother's meatballs. Only worse. The first time I entered a piece in a writing contest, I was secretly certain that I would/could/should win. I did not win. And worse, I received judge's comments in ...

As a new year of writing begins, it can be helpful to take a few moments and actively plan an approach to expanding writing horizons and going deeper where you already are. My year already includes some fairly hefty projects, including acting as managing ...

I do not eat Gorgonzola. At least not to the extent that Emma Teitel does, but I did relate to her column in a recent MacLean's, where she writes about the perils from working from home — as a writer. Teitel writes: ...

I'm right in the middle of a collaborative, creative project. I am taking the supportive role in this one, viewing rough footage of two thought leaders in the simple living and justice movement in conversation with each other. I jot down what strikes ...