Never be the Only Proofreader of your Work
One should never try to submit one’s work without having someone else look it over first. That is a relatively hard rule with most writing jobs, though there are rare exceptions to this rule. For example, say you are working as a technical writer for a firm. You are paid
Write What You Know
One of the great clichés of writing is to write what you know. By this, the cliché means use what you are familiar with. Many people have criticized this saying, insisting that one cannot grow as a writer without branching out. That writers should use their imagination. These aren’t invalid
Variety is Not Always the Spice of Life
We’ve all seen authors use favorite words, expressions, or writing habits over and over — and over. Habit, perhaps. No thesaurus — or imagination. A personal schtick. So the reader gets to a point where every time we come across it, we wince. [A favorite mystery author of mine often
Modifiers: Adding Adjectives and Adverbs
On another blog post, I commented that sometimes the best way to give additional information is casually through an action sentence. The example I gave there was Her green eyes were friendly as she shook his hand. In this sentence, you have offered up her eye color as a modifier
Show, Don’t Tell
Writing advice is often full of sage, over-generalized clichés. Famous ones include “write what you know,” and “less is more.” Today, we will be discussing another cliché: the concept of “show, don’t tell.” Like most writing advice, it’s important, but needs context. What is show, don’t tell, and why does
Helpful Hints Part 1
When writing anything, be it fiction, non-fiction, work-related, or academic, there are certain mistakes that are commonly made. This is a list of some of the most common and how to avoid them: English is a funny language. We have many words that sound the same but are spelled differently
Helpful Hints Part 2
In another blogpost, I discuss some commonly misused words. Here I want to cover some commonly misused phrases. I don’t care much for clichés and consistently urge their omission in professional work, and their use in fiction to be limited mostly to dialogue. Blame the character. In that spirit, I