Misusing Words for Fun and Profit
Good writers don’t want to use their words the way other people do.
Paul Barber
Paul Barber is a literate curmudgeon. Visit his Download page for two self-published books.
The Fountain of Youth, El Dorado, and Creative Writing Classes
This last essay was sent to us by the well-known… Read More »The Fountain of Youth, El Dorado, and Creative Writing Classes
Old Wine in New Bottles
To see imagery as mere ornament in a story is like seeing a man’s head as just a pedestal for his bonnet.
—William Shakespeare
Bad Advice From a Good Writer
Whatever one wishes to say, there is one noun only… Read More »Bad Advice From a Good Writer
The True Fairy Tale of the Niffum and the Legab
First of all, it happened in another universe, and on… Read More »The True Fairy Tale of the Niffum and the Legab
Avoid. sentence. fragments
Mr Salter’s side of the conversation was limited to expressions… Read More »Avoid. sentence. fragments
Writer’s Diction
The first thing to consider is the difference between the… Read More »Writer’s Diction
The Passive Voice Speaks Out
Before the Internet, we had to go to political rallies… Read More »The Passive Voice Speaks Out
Who Knows What Evil Lurks in the Parts of Speech!?
Our next example is related to the word-parsimony fallacy but… Read More »Who Knows What Evil Lurks in the Parts of Speech!?
Saint Ollin and the Swamp Dragon
For Cllotillda, on the verge of marriage, had lost her beloved. Not exactly lost—in fact he had died. And to be strictly accurate, it was Cllotillda who had killed him. With an arrow.
The Word-Parsimony Fallacy
The fact that an opinion has been widely held is… Read More »The Word-Parsimony Fallacy
The Cast; the Plot
Torkulweef say: We offered to introduce Tiresias, but he refused,… Read More »The Cast; the Plot
Professor Sudo’s Questionable Quotations
What is truth? Who wants to know!?
—Al Capone
And more wit and dubious wisdom from the many voices of Paul Barber
Tiresias; an Apology of Sorts
Torkulweef say: We offered to introduce Tiresias, but he refused,… Read More »Tiresias; an Apology of Sorts