Category Archives: Ampersand’s Writing Tips

In which Ampersand, the Office Cat, lends his feline omniscience to questions of grammar, style, punctuation and other minutiae

Finding the markets without losing your mind

Posted on July 23, 2012 by

My first-year university roommate had worked at Trenton Air Force Base as a file clerk for the summer. Military regulations required that hair be worn above the collar, so Lynn had to learn to put her hair up. “They told … Continue reading →

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What Editors Want

Posted on March 22, 2012 by

Among my writing friends I have several who have a lot of experience as journalists, writing for newspapers and magazines. I’ve learned a lot from them about writing non-fiction for periodicals. The most valuable thing I’ve learned is what editors … Continue reading →

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Not exactly a couch potato

Posted on October 11, 2011 by

For the last few years, since I started working on my writing seriously, I’ve been writing mostly in one of two places. I’m either at my desktop computer in my office at home, or I’m in the Sault Ste Marie … Continue reading →

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By the numbers

Posted on October 8, 2011 by

How do you write numbers in literature? It’s a point on which I’ve argued with quite a few people.  I’ve heard all the arguments from the journalists, who say you write out one through nine, but use numerals for anything … Continue reading →

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The binge is over

Posted on March 22, 2011 by

The March writing binge is over, and while I didn’t get my project completed, that was mainly because I let five or six essential pieces of writing at home. I’ll get them today and finish this sucker. All the same, … Continue reading →

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The weight of water

Posted on March 14, 2011 by

A couple of years ago I read a murder mystery, the solution of which depended on the fact that the guilty party had moved an aquarium from one room to another. The author didn’t specify the capacity of the aquarium. … Continue reading →

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Words, words, words

Posted on September 30, 2010 by

Thanks to a couple of days in the pottery studio, and the responses of some friends, I’ve calmed down considerably and lost most of my jitters. I also had a look at the calendar for September and realized that I … Continue reading →

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The commonplace book

Posted on August 24, 2010 by

A commonplace book is a book wherein you write bits of prose, poetry or overheard stuff that you want to remember. I keep a commonplace book, and have for some years now. I believe I’m on volume five. I’d never … Continue reading →

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We may not need no steenkin’ rulez – but we like ’em

Posted on August 17, 2010 by

Is there a writer anywhere who doesn’t have some rule or rules for writing? I have a few. Elmore Leonard has a famous list of rules, and so does Kurt Vonnegut. More recently Neil Gaiman, one of my favourite writers, … Continue reading →

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The value of rejection

Posted on August 14, 2010 by

Progress in the career of writing comes in different forms. My favourite thing is acceptance, selling a story I wrote and getting paid for it. It’s wonderful for my ego, even if it’s only moderately nice for the pocketbook. (Let’s … Continue reading →

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