So, I’m probably the worst travel blogger in bloggerdom. I’ve been writing in this blog for 6 years, but months and months pass by without a peep. And yet, that’s usually a good sign—it means I’m keeping busy; it does not mean I’m not writing.
I recently finished a project in which I had to follow my own advice. The author had reversed the use of presume and assume in the same paragraph. It didn’t sound right to me, but I couldn’t put my finger on why it wasn’t right, so I looked it up!
“Writing process” is such a loaded term. It conjures up the many recipes for rhetorical success that writing instructors and other educators shove down students’ throats. I’ve done it to students myself, knowing full well that while enumerated writing processes are based on proven methods, there’s far more art than science when it comes to crafting good rhetoric, even for a technician like me. And no recipe can replace the easy magic that comes with practice, practice, practice.
The 2014 Jaipur Literature Festival kicks off next month. For five days in January, thousands of people will gather at the Diggi Palace in the Pink City of Rajasthan to talk about books, ideas, and the world. I had the great fortune to attend JLF this past year and wish I could go again this year. If you find yourself in Rajasthan next month, here are 10 tips for making the most of the Jaipur Literature Festival.
I’ve always been a big-desk person. Ever since high school, when I rejected the little girl’s desk in my bedroom for the lure of the dining room table, I’ve preferred to work on a large space. I also like lots of legroom. While my legs are pretty short, I’m a leg fidget. . . I poke them out in different directions, sit on them, prop them up—all difficult to do under a traditional desk. I also like having all my books, and notebooks, and various accoutrements at arms’ reach.
