Roy Peter Clark
If a period is a stop sign, then what kind of traffic flow is created by other marks? The comma is a speed bump; the semicolon is what a driver education teacher calls a “rolling stop”; the parenthetical expression is a detour; the colon is a flashing yellow light that announces something important up ahead; the dash is a tree branch in the road.Collection: Teacher
Everyone should read, we say, but we act as if only those with special talent should write.Collection: Book
Writing is not magic. It’s a craft, a process, a set of steps. As with any process, things sometimes break down. Even in a good story, the writer runs into problems. So the act of writing always includes problem solving.Collection: Running
For what good is freedom of expression if you lack the means to express yourself?Collection: Mean
Having the urge to write is one thing; acting on it is another.Collection: Writing
I may have grown up in the Age of Aquarius, but I'm growing old in the Age of the Acronym.Collection: Aquarius
Express your most powerful thought in the shortest sentence.Collection: Powerful
A teacher of mine once said there are no true synonyms.Collection: Teacher
Riffing on language will create wonderful effects you never intended. Which leads me to this writing advice: 'Always take credit for good stuff you didn't intend, because you'll be getting plenty of criticism in your career for bad stuff you didn't mean either.'Collection: Mean
Without a serious study of journalism, there can be no understanding of citizenship, democracy, or community.Collection: Community