Melodrama [Part 2 of 2]: 5 Tips for Cutting
Last week I shared 6 ways to spot melodrama in your writing. This week we are going to talk about some tips for cutting melodrama. First, here’s a quick refresher of the definition: Melodrama [noun]:...
View ArticleA Writing Tip from John Green
Right now I’m reading John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. I’m almost finished, in fact. His books are pretty quick reads. Anyway, I came across the following line from chapter fourteen that struck...
View Article3 Tips for Accepting Critique
Today I want to talk briefly about critique. As writers, critique is part of what we do. Instead of avoiding it or dreading it, I believe we can learn to embrace it. It’s not always going to be...
View ArticleA Study in Best-Selling First Sentences (part 2)
As I thought about what I wanted to write about in today’s post, I remembered a post I wrote almost a year ago: “A Study of Best-Selling First Sentences.” In that post, I listed a number of popular...
View ArticleNarrowing Your Focus
Hello! Today I’m out of town on a business trip to Salt Lake City, but earlier this week I wrote a guest post for Author Culture Blog on “Narrowing Your Focus.” You can check it out here. Happy...
View ArticleAn Historic or A Historic?
An historic OR A historic? I always thought it was AN historic until one day my teacher friend texted me to ask if it was AN one-hour class or A one-hours class. I knew it was “a,” but I wanted to be...
View ArticleThe Power of an Abstract
In my day job, I edit a scholarly journal. Potential authors submit an article for consideration. I read it, and it is also anonymously reviewed by members of my editorial board. Then I write back to...
View ArticleThe Internet’s Effect on Writing and Publishing
Hello, grammar fiends! Long time, no talk. It’s been a crazy summer filled with vacations and work and editing and all sorts of things that equal me being absent from this place for many months. I’m...
View ArticleHow I Edit Different Writing Styles
One question people often have about editing is how I deal with different writing styles. An author’s writing style can also be referred to as the author’s “voice.” If you read enough books by the...
View ArticleOne True Sentence
Hemingway in Paris (1924) Image is in the Public Domain Earlier this year, I went on a 1920’s Paris kick and read Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, The Paris Wife, The Sun Also Rises, and A Moveable...
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