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Do you wish you could write? Or you'd like to get back into writing? You've landed in the right place! I'm Kim Duke, your writing coach based in Canada. I help women start writing for the sheer joy of it!
So you think your life is too ordinary to write about? Forget it. I love writing about all aspects of life and your own life is full of topics for unusual, fun and touching essays. I've written about everything from love to liver! I kid you not.
Me in December! John Singer Sargeant, Nonchaloir (Repose), 1911, National Gallery Of Art, Washington, DC. Well, if you could see me now, you’d immediately notice how I’m like this woman lounging on her couch. Okay, I’m not wearing a silk gown, but do flannel pajamas count? I don’t even have a pen in my hand […]
Margaret Atwood. I want to be like her when I grow up! Internationally renowned Canadian writer, Margaret Atwood, is a force to contend with. I’ve seen her speak, and her wit never fails to catch me off-guard! Margaret isn’t exactly small potatoes. She’s a Canadian novelist, poet, and literary critic. She’s best known for her […]
Baba and Billy, 1920, John Duncan, 1866-1945 My werewolf dog didn’t want me to write about this topic today. He felt it was a betrayal. “Because, really, Kim. You are a dog lover. You have no right to be writing about cats, ” he said. Well, he is partially correct. I am a dog lover. […]
This was a nice start to my daily walk! Mock me if you will, however, I’m always on the lookout for something with more than one meaning. I’m a big believer of signs. And I like to write about them too! (Hey listen – I’m not alone in this. Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung, also believed […]
Dictionaries have always been one of my secret loves. (And thesauruses too!) My obsession started early as I’ve been in love with words as long as I can remember. Somewhere along the way in my childhood, someone gave me an old hardcover Pocket Oxford Dictionary. It was navy blue and fit perfectly in my hand. […]
When you’re stuck about what to write and you feel completely devoid of creativity? Here’s a simple suggestion that doesn’t cost a penny. Find something you have on display, or that you use daily. And, then write about the secret story it holds. If you were invited to my house for coffee, you’d probably notice […]
I first heard the two-hundred-year-old Scottish phrase, hurkle-durkle, when I visited Scotland for the first time in my 20s. The lovely little B and B my friends and I stayed at, Mrs. Henderson’s Bed and Breakfast, was a welcome relief from the pouring rain we’d traveled in for days. My tiny room was beautifully decorated […]
This gorgeous painting by Ramon Casas, After The Prom, 1899, certainly captures how I’ve been feeling lately. I’ve been dealing with a writer’s worst enemy. But my husband expressed it best a few days ago. “I’m not motivated to go to my karate class today,” he said as he poured our morning coffees. “I’ve been […]
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10 sneaky words & phrases To CHop from your writing.