Sucking the hind tit : related idioms
Last Sunday, our six-year-old female Staffordshire Bull Terrier gave birth to six beautiful and healthy puppies. One was distinctly smaller than his four black brothers and sister and I feared…
Verbs must do the hard work in a sentence
Less is more in the writing discipline
I am reading a book in which the author has swamped the pages with an oversupply of adjectives. Of course, this is just my opinion, but I find the need…
Six ways to take the stress out of writing a book
For all the aspirant writers out there who want to get a book out of your system, start with an e-book. Here's how: Getting down to writing: Write that e-book.…
How do you like them apples?
The apple: On first appearance, there’s nothing special about it at all. It’s typically green or red on the outside with a crunchy white interior (if it’s a quality mid-season…
Say it all in the essay
In my school days, I loved writing essays and sometimes the result was so impressive that my teachers rewarded me with the highest marks in the class. Such was the…
Why is the world your oyster?
An erudite scholar presented a speech in which he used the phrase, “the world is your oyster”. At first it hit me as the millionth use of a tried and…
The joy of serendipity
No work today. I read the SMS on Monday with surprise, delight and near disbelief. Then I realised the universe had conspired to serve my needs. With less than three…
Can writers be replaced by Artificial Intelligence?
Be afraid. Be very afraid. Stand aside fellow writer as a machine does your work. This is highly possible, and as early as 2018, if writings on the power and…
How big is your appetite for words?
Browsing through the Huffington Post, I happened upon a blog about strange and wonderful words. When I reached the end of the text, I realised with horror that I have…
bees at work
Why is spelling a bee?
This is a question that has been on my mind ever since my encounter with the movie Akeelah and the Bee in 2006, and I was again reminded of it…
