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Millions of words are written in this field every year, but few are better than those that come from the keyboard of I.J. Schecter.

Jane Carter, Editor, Golf Monthly

WRITING SAMPLES

The following samples provide a representative cross-section of I.J.'s recent work. Click the link at the end of each synopsis for the full text.

Next on the Tee, George W. Bush

It's common enough to see basketball players nubbing their golf drives thirty feet, movie actors embarrassing themselves by taking club in hand, and presidents nearly decapitating innocent spectators. But there are some foursomes we truly deserve to see play a round. more

Memorable Toasts

You don't have to be Vince Lombardi to deliver a stirring speech. All it takes is a little effort, some creativity, and the willingness to tear yourself away from the game for an hour or two. Follow these vital tips and you're halfway there. more

Going the Full Nine: How to Be A Model Husband from the First Day of Pregnancy to the Last

A game plan for men awaiting the birth of their first child. more

Uncle Hugh's Guide to Maintaining a Ten Handicap

My Uncle Hugh is in his mid-fifties, carries forty extra pounds and walks like Benny Hill with a double hernia, yet he claims to maintain a ten handicap. I recently played a round with him to uncover his secrets... more

Wrestling the Alligator

I can hit a curveball, install a dimmer and make a reverse lay-up. So how come I can't wrap a present to save my life? more

Dating 102

A meditation on dating phase two, which involves all the complications of dating phase one with twice the number of people. more

Home on the Range

Have you ever discovered the key to a perfect swing on the practice range only to see it fall apart before you reach the first green? You're not alone. more

Downsizing

With no signs of expansion slowing down, some organizational restructuring is required in the biggest organization of all. more

The Average Guy's Guide to Looking Good at the Gym

Maybe you're not going to be crowned Mr. Universe anytime soon. But you can still look respectable in the attempt. more

Lightning in a Bottle: Five Tips for Using Metaphors and Similes Effectively

Handled judiciously, metaphors and similes can be powerful tools in the writer's arsenal. Misused, they can serve as distractions. Here are five guidelines for creating metaphors and similes that will help make your story stand out from the rest. more

Tales of an Ectomorph

Peering up the side of my arm toward the dumbbell held atop it, I can’t help but think of my old dorm-mate Kevin, the kind of guy who looked like he’d been produced at a meat-packing plant... more

One Step Backward

My problem with Julian is getting worse. It happened again this morning, while I was standing over his crib, watching him sleep. more

The Groom's Real Calendar

By now you’ve read several grooms’ planning guides advising you when to announce your engagement, pick up your tux and take out cash to tip anyone within a six-mile radius. But those guides leave out a few important tidbits. Here’s some straight advice from a groom who’s been through it all and come out unscathed (mostly). more

Eye of the Beholder

Funny thing, my body. Yesterday I stepped out of the shower looking like an Olympic swimmer. Today I look like a cross between Tobey Maguire and my father. What the heck is going on? more

Beautiful Seduction

Strolling along Sainte-Catherine Street in Montreal, mingling with the stylish shoppers enjoying the most concentrated stretch of commercial activity in Canada, one might feel he has slipped into a temporal fissure where old world meets new, modern bustle coalesces with European hospitality, an air of ease and composure belies something exciting humming constantly near the surface. This is Montreal’s essential contradiction and its irresistible allure: Rather than a city caught between two eras, it is, instead, the model of a perfect marriage. more

Gym Classes

Ever wonder what you look like to others in the gym? I don’t. Okay, I do. I wonder all the time. The gym is like a field lab in which a number of different species exist--sometimes keeping a safe distance from one another, sometimes undertaking a cautious approach, sometimes even intermingling--and I’d like to know which species I belong to, mostly so that I don’t accidentally intrude on the territory of one whose biceps are much larger than mine. more

Diary of a Pool Meltdown

Sure, I’ve finished no better than sixth in my fantasy pool over the past decade. Sure, I’m the guy whose players always end up missing time due to hangnails, vertigo or parasites. Sure, most of my cornerstone picks turn into Buddy Biancalana the moment I draft them. Despite all this, my gut told me 2004 was finally going to be my year. Here’s how it went. more

15 Ways You Know You Were Born to Write

Can't decide whether you're a born scribe? This list will help. more

My Son the Poo-Poo Head

I’m not sure exactly when my five-year-old’s blossoming vocabulary was replaced with an embryonic version of Chris Rock’s stand-up, but the evidence can’t be denied. more

Oceans of Time

The first page of my Bermuda guidebook offers this advice: “Slow down.” more

Oceans of Time

The first page of my Bermuda guidebook offers this advice: “Slow down.” more

Oceans of Time

The first page of my Bermuda guidebook offers this advice: “Slow down.” more

I.J. Schecter
43 Park Hill Road
Toronto, ON M6C 3N2
(416) 803-9847

© I.J. Schecter 2003