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Oct 7
5 min

Why Is a Raven Like a Writing Desk? How Metaphors Sink and Swim

Limit yourself to one metaphor at a time, and keep the touch light. Trust your reader to complete the comparison once you suggest it.

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Don’t Kill Your Darlings . . . Save Them for Later

M. Christine Benner Dixon

Jul 29
3 min

Don’t Kill Your Darlings . . . Save Them for Later

There’s an old piece of writing advice that says, “Kill your darlings,” but I say, "Let your babies grow up."

22 views1 comment

“To Social Distance” - A Verb For Our Times

M. Christine Benner Dixon

Jul 13
3 min

“To Social Distance” - A Verb For Our Times

By turning “social distancing” (noun) into “social distancing” (verb), we are saying that this is something new.

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M. Christine Benner Dixon

Jun 29
3 min

Grammarians for Social Change!

The moment you think you have language figured out, nailed down, and fully contained in neat little rules, you are in dangerous territory.

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M. Christine Benner Dixon

May 23
8 min

The Before and After Effect

I am irrevocably lurching towards the “After,” and so are you. We can’t go backwards, so let’s take a minute to plan a route out of here.

140 views2 comments

What Can I Say? How to Give Writing Feedback to Someone You Love

M. Christine Benner Dixon

Apr 13
3 min

What Can I Say? How to Give Writing Feedback to Someone You Love

Oh, no! The writer that you love has just asked you (or maybe commanded you) to read something they've written . . . and they want feedback.

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The Rockstar and the Band: Tips for Writing and Research

M. Christine Benner Dixon

Mar 9
4 min

The Rockstar and the Band: Tips for Writing and Research

You don't have to carry encyclopedias of knowledge around with you in your brain. The writing process is often a learning process, too.

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M. Christine Benner Dixon

Jan 30
3 min

How to Succeed By Ignoring Advice

I'm not saying that you shouldn't seek advice. You should. But I suggest that you learn how to take advice and how to ignore it.

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M. Christine Benner Dixon

Jan 16
4 min

Writing Email is Writing

As with any kind of writing, you are making choices about the tone, content, and structure of your emails. Why not make good choices?

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Variety is the Spice of Life . . . and Writing

M. Christine Benner Dixon

Dec 9, 2019
4 min

Variety is the Spice of Life . . . and Writing

Whether in an email, a speech, a proposal, a short story, or a research report, repetitious sentence structure can come off as monotone.

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Location, location, location: writing structure

M. Christine Benner Dixon

Nov 10, 2019
3 min

Location, location, location: writing structure

What good is finding just the right word if no one notices it?

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M. Christine Benner Dixon

Oct 17, 2019
7 min

Taking a Tone

There is no such thing as writing without a tone, but the tone can be confusing or jumbled.

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M. Christine Benner Dixon

Oct 1, 2019
2 min

Do a Writing Exercise, Break a Sweat

There's something about the rhythm of a body in motion, the intake of breath, the dynamic flow of scenery as you go.

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M. Christine Benner Dixon

Sep 20, 2019
4 min

First Drafts: A Parable

Experienced writers know what to do with first drafts: step back, get the big picture, make a plan. Then get back in there!

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I'm Thinking You Might Want to Consider the Possibility of Writing More Assertively

M. Christine Benner Dixon

Sep 13, 2019
3 min

I'm Thinking You Might Want to Consider the Possibility of Writing More Assertively

Too many writers back away from clear claims and assertions out of a distorted sense of modesty or habitual self-negation.

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M. Christine Benner Dixon

Sep 11, 2019
3 min

Rhetoric Sells

In (good) advertising, every image, every note, every word is purposeful.

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M. Christine Benner Dixon

Sep 8, 2019
2 min

How to Verb Better

Imagine that someone reduced your writing to its verbs alone. What would they see?

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Write Your Opening Line . . . Then Burn It

M. Christine Benner Dixon

Sep 4, 2019
2 min

Write Your Opening Line . . . Then Burn It

It's a pity that people think they need to start writing at the beginning.

18 viewsWrite a comment

Storytelling is Everything: a brief 'why' and 'how-to' guide

M. Christine Benner Dixon

Sep 3, 2019
2 min

Storytelling is Everything: a brief 'why' and 'how-to' guide

If you want to be effective in society, you have to be a storyteller.

48 viewsWrite a comment

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