How to manage the tricks of memory
Working with Senator Lisa Murkowski for years on her recent book, I came to know her two ways: …
Who profits when AI teaches illiteracy?
AI is accelerating the decline of literacy and impoverishing the English language, but as concerning …
Why English is losing power
A friend was shocked when young associates didn’t know the meaning of ‘teetotaler,’ a once-common …
Who is the invisible person next to you?
There are tricks to explaining complex ideas in prose, but the most important skill is holistic: …
Creation and the erotic spirit
The extraordinary poet Stanley Kunitz wrote that the essence of creativity is the erotic spirit, a …
Learning to see again
I looked at my wife across the table and suddenly saw how beautiful she is, as if seeing her for the …
He taught me the most important writing lesson
I never had a better boss than Tom Gibboney, the publisher at a weekly in an Alaskan fishing village …
How to mix a cocktail of metaphors
One of my witty writer friends responded to my newsletter about style by suggesting I write next …
What prose styles tell us about our minds
English prose styles change through time like musical or artistic styles, but within the period of a …
A good coach helps you think outside yourself
Sometimes a coach can offer a single insight that makes all the difference. I discovered this …
Now is the time for moral courage
My last piece attracted a lot of attention because it was about physical courage and worthy …
What I learned from a man who was eaten by a bear
What is a good man? That question always makes me think of a story I wrote as a newspaper reporter …
This is not my beautiful life
I’m fascinated by stories of abrupt, drastic life changes. They light up the far corners of what’s …
Why practice outweighs talent
I was asked again today how to become a writer—how did I do it? My first piece, a short story, was …
Are we ready for an illiterate AI society?
Adult literacy is dropping in the rich nations of the world. An international study shows that about …
In praise of long sentences
Shorter sentences aren’t always easier to understand, whatever you may have heard from your …
How thoughtful stories knit our minds
The decline of literary fiction and serious film has contributed, in part, to America’s current …
Is a good book a window or a tile?
My son Robin was about five years old when he asked me at bedtime one night, “Is a computer screen a …
Who are better writers, the old or young?
Young people have more vivid imaginations—there’s neuroscience on that—sharper memories, and quicker …
Please, please don’t use ‘experience’ as a verb
I’m OK with anything you do with the English language that makes it more expressive and doesn’t …
Mark Rowland’s legacy of stories well told
The death two weeks ago of my father-in-law, Mark Rowland, got me thinking about where writing …
How tiny details spawned a TV doppelganger
It was a weird feeling to have my former boss and old friend portrayed on television in an eerily …
Everyone has a story. Lou Grant said so
During our second conversation, over coffee, it came out that what Dan wanted most at 36 was to grow …
Is ghost-writing dishonest?
Eyes widen at parties when I tell people I am a ghostwriter, as if I’ve admitted I do something …