A baby barn owl running across grass!

Happy weekend.

A cliché is an overused phrase or idea that has lost its originality and impact. Don't use sentences like:

'His eyes sparkled with mischief.'
'The air was thick with tension.'
'Her heart skipped a beat.'

How can you say this better? 'Think outside the box!' 🙃

On popular demand:

❌️Paradigm shift
❌️Cutting-edge
❌️Synergy
❌️Game-changer
❌️Disruptive
❌️Robust
❌️Holistic approach
❌️Best practices
❌️Synergize
❌️Optimize
❌️Revolutionize
❌️Seamless integration

Beginner mistakes first time authors make when pitching their book:

1. Insisting on a call beforehand
2. Saying someone will 'steal your idea'
3. Excessive follow-up
4. Not researching the agent or publisher
5. Querying before the book is ready
6. Arguing with feedback

Don't rush to publish your book.

Faster publication does not guarantee fame.

Networking and publicity are not a shortcut.

Find your voice. Take your time.

IYKYK 😉

❌️ Delve or delve into
❌️ Elevate
❌️ Tapestry
❌️ Landscape
❌️ Bustling
❌️ Vibrant
❌️ In summary or in conclusion
❌️ Crucial, essential, important to consider
❌️ Explore
❌️ Captivate
❌️ Leverage
❌️Embrace, resonate, dynamic, testament

Astrophysicist and Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar used to travel 80 kilometers every week from the Yerkes Observatory to the University of Chicago, where he taught a course attended by only two students. When asked why he spent his time this way, the professor replied…

Broken people have the best advice.

The Age of AI has heightened people's sensitivity to the nuances of language (like word repetition and awkward phrasing) turning everyone into editors. This newfound awareness of word choice and grammar is a good thing!

What writing mistake is the author making in this passage?

A. Relying heavily on clichéd gender roles and stereotypes
B. Using too many descriptive details about food and spices
C. All of the above

What writing mistake is the author making in this passage?

A. Including too much irrelevant detail that derails the narrative momentum
B. Not providing enough descriptive detail
C. Focusing too heavily on the main plot point at the expense of character development

All books contain:

- Existing information on a topic (facts, truths, perspectives)

- The writer's opinions and observations

- Supporting research to validate the writer's claims

The first exists independently of the writer. The rest is what the writer brings to the table.

Via Meru Gokhale , a thought on the writing process that resonates. Too many people think writers are folks who simply have to open their laptops and turn on the tap. It just does *not* work that way. 👇

This is probably the most famous test sentence in the history of writing and publishing.

I'm curious - does anyone know the story behind it?

It is a great myth that writing springs magically from inside the writer's head. Writing is only the endpoint of a much longer process of noticing, observing, learning, and concluding something that you feel will make people feel differently about a particular subject.

The horror of someone handing a phone to you and saying, “here, you speak to them”

Things you don't need to write a great novel:

❌A fancy creative writing degree
❌The perfect location
❌The perfect time in your life

Things you do need to write a great novel:

✅A huge amount of self-belief
✅A huge amount of self-doubt
✅A great story