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Legal Writing

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Last Entry: April 01, 2011 at 01:01:00

Hater-ation for the Hyphen Nation

Posted on October 19, 2007
Have you noticed how the effects of the American Revolution are being reversed by an invasion of British scolds? The most famous, of course, is Simon Cowell, the imperious judge on "American Idol" ("Go find your vocal coach and ask for a refund.") It now seems that every talent show needs its cranky Brit on the bench...

Can Newspapers Not Suck?

Posted on October 16, 2007
I did not argue last week that it was the journalist's duty to "buy" the paper, only to "read" it. Anyone who has ever sat on a subway or in an airport lounge knows that you can read a newspaper -- several, in fact -- without spending a penny...

Your Duty to Read the Paper

Posted on October 11, 2007
One of the great autobiographies of the last 2,000 years is "The Confessions of St. Augustine." It's a work that must be taken seriously because its author offers such a full and candid description of his own human weaknesses. One chapter begins: "I wish to bring back to mind my past foulness and the carnal corruptions of my soul...

A New Narrative Structure

Posted on October 06, 2007
Sorry, Buffy. Keep slaying those vampires. Ours has been a passionate journey. I've watched every episode -- all seven seasons -- at least three times. I've sung the praises of your hot plots, clever dialogue, nifty cliffhangers and shapely narratives...

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What Would You Have Done?

Posted on October 04, 2007
I am sharing with you a personal essay I wrote for Sunday's St. Petersburg Times. (If any of you would like to link to it, or reprint it, just let me know.) The essay was several years in the making. I had told the story aloud many times, but never figured out how to write it, until now...

Writer, Heal Myself

Posted on September 26, 2007
A phrase from my last column has earned me a bit of attention and feedback. In an essay on the use and abuse of the word "crusade," I referred to Osama Bin Laden as "that spelunking meshuggeneh." I coined this phrase not long after I advised writers not to show off, but to "murder your darlings...

My Crusade Against 'Crusade'

Posted on September 24, 2007
In the Sept. 9, 2007, edition of The New York Times, a cover feature on presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani carried the headline "The Crusader," a tribute to his reputation as a crime-fighting mayor and to his tough talk against terrorism. The following day in my hometown newspaper, an editorial headline read: "Governor's tax-cut crusade sidesteps hard facts on schools...

When Words Betray Us: Stop Showing Off

Posted on September 21, 2007
Never mind the story. Sometimes a headline alone is enough to fire up a controversy. The New York Daily News once turned the trick with this beauty about a president who refused to help a bankrupt metropolis: "Ford to City: Drop Dead." And now MoveOn...