27th November 2009
Win a free analysis and review of your manuscripts from the editors who help writers publish great books. We believe that writers are important, and this is a way to help them write books that others will want to read and buy. This contest is open to all ...
25th November 2009
Punctuation isn’t complicated once you know what you’re looking at. I see many writers making errors when punctuating appositives. This may be a new term for many folks, so we’ll take a look at what I mean by “appositive,” and then we’ll figur...
20th November 2009
Your book or story has a powerful beginning. It engages the reader. It makes him want to read more. The main character has a big problem, and the reader wants to know how it will be solved. Pretty soon, though, the reader is yawning. She puts the book dow...
02nd November 2009
Just in time for Halloween, that oddest of celebrations, I will share with you a story of diabolical possession. This is the story of how an entire town became possessed due to frighteningly terrible punctuation.Nestled in the northern mountains of New Me...
23rd October 2009
I am intrigued by the fight between the Fox News channel and the Obama administration. But this article is not going to be about politics, about who is right or wrong, or even about how each side is interpreting the actions of the other. I’ll leave the ...
12th October 2009
When I awoke this morning, rain was falling. During mid-morning, the rain was still falling. I just looked out my window, and, sure enough, the rain has not yet stopped.
So, here’s the question. How does the rain fall? Has the rain been falling conti...
23rd September 2009
Coffee is a wonderful beverage. It has a pleasant taste, and it can help you wake up, think clearly, recover quickly after a strenuous workout, and lose weight. People who drink coffee feel good about themselves.
Not so fast, buckaroo.
Some of this ...
17th September 2009
What do the words morgue, birdie, assessment, green, and object have in common?
These words are jargon. Jargon is the set of terms used by people in a specific field, profession, or group. The definitions of the jargon may be unique to that field. Near...
02nd September 2009
The most important element in a story is conflict. If your story does not have a central conflict, you don’t actually have a story—you have a picture, a static description of people and places. Without conflict, you won’t have a reason for events to...
12th August 2009
We are often called upon to assist graduate students prepare summaries of articles. You probably know the kind of assignment to which I am referring. Find some articles on a topic and create a single paper on a theme using those articles as references.
...
23rd July 2009
Given the state of today’s economy, many people are looking for work. Other than the regular crowd of job-seekers, the recent graduates, the job-changers, and the youth seeking jobs while they go to school, the job market is being flooded with people wh...
08th July 2009
My two favorite words are still “axiom” and “myriad.” Say them with me “ax – ee – umm” . . . “mere – ee – aaaad.” Good three-syllable words. Strong words. Words like “Dracula” and “Frankenstein.” Pretty words.
But this a...
28th June 2009
I recently responded to the following question: “I am trying to improve the exposition/argument I am writing in English. What can I write instead of 'in my opinion . . .'?"
As an editor, I like writing that gets to the point, communicates confidently...
12th June 2009
Basic computer skills for authors are important when presenting a manuscript to publishers. Basic computer skills go beyond typing skills. Some writers were writing back when typewriters were THE advanced technology. There’s nothing wrong with this. Old...
03rd June 2009
To an American writer or reader, British English is pretty easy to spot with its funny spellings: “neighbOUr,” “colOUr,” “programME,” etc. (To be fair, Brits probably find our spellings strange, too.) Maybe this has something to do with their ...
