Too Much Fixin’ No one can write perfectly the first time. We have to revise our ideas to communicate the right amount of information to the reader. Do you know how much fixing to do?
Is Your Writing Publishable? In order for your writing to be professional, credible, up-to-date, and publishing-ready, you need to hire experts along the way. Here is a guide of the people and steps to take before you publish your work.
Lay, Lie, Lei Do you know how to use lay and lie correctly? Which word do you use when you put something down? How about when you recline or rest? Is it lay, lie, laying, lying, laid, lain? Find out here!
Homophones—Not Identical Twins Many words in the English language look or sound exactly the same. However, they are spelled and used differently. Since writers commonly mix them up, let’s get them right!
*INCLUDES REFERENCE LIST*
This, That, These, Those Demonstrative pronouns must be used in a specific way. Do you know the rules to use the words this, that, these, and those?
Use Quotation Marks Correctly Do you know how and when to use double quotes and single quotes? Here are some simple rules for those who want their writing to look professional.
Eliminate Excessive Details Many writers put in a lot of unnecessary details as though they were chatting with someone. However, a reader can easily get bogged down with excessive details, so learn how to tighten up your writing!
Whose Head Am I In? Sometimes writers combine several character’s experiences all in one scene. Not only is it physically impossible to be in multiple people’s heads at once, but it’s confusing to read. Here’s a fun and easy way to learn how to write point of view correctly.
Formatting Cheat Sheet Every writer who wants to be viewed as a professional should apply these formatting rules to their writing. Keep this list handy and use it!
Comical Conversations It’s humorous how written conversations often don’t resemble real-life conversations. Do you unnecessarily embellish written conversations with these bad habits?
Misbehaving Modifiers We all use modifiers to make our writing colorful and clear. However, if they are used incorrectly, they can be confusing, awkward, even hilarious.
Can You Find the Errrors? No one writes perfectly—we all make errors. Test your ability to spot different types of errors in this challenging quiz!
Commas, Commas Everywhere! It’s a bad habit to randomly sprinkle commas throughout your writing. When in doubt, don’t! See why.
Memorable Writing Three important tips on writing so vividly that readers will remember you.
How to Write a Blog If you’ve ever thought about writing a blog, answer two questions and you can start!
Get to the Point! Unconsciously repeating yourself and adding unnecessary details bores readers. Simplicity and conciseness is most effective. Let’s identify common rambling habits to eliminate.
What DID They Do? Often we write what didn’t happen instead of what did. Do you have this bad habit? Read on to find out!
Happy New Year! Or is it “Happy New Year’s”? The handy guide to common US holidays and how they are written both in title and in conversation.
Surviving Burnout We all have crashed in exhaustion and feel like we can’t do even one more thing. Here are some tips to help you get keep going until you make it to the other side.
Who Cares About Facts? Have you ever read something you knew was wrong and rolled your eyes…then stopped reading? I have. Make sure you fact-check these two critical areas so your readers will view you as a credible, knowledgeable writer.
Attention-Grabbing Writing With all the distractions surrounding us, it’s hard to get people to read your writing. Here are tips on how to hook readers!
Confusing Names Reading takes focus and concentration, something that you can make easier for your readers by eliminating confusing names.
Is Anyone Listening to You? When you write, you address a specific group of people. Do you know what those readers are specifically looking for?
Redundant Redundancies It’s easy to spell out obvious things that are understood by the reader already. Here are some funny redundancies that are often overlooked by writers.
Mangling Modern Writing Today, writers are allowed to mimic our casual language. But there are still rules when using these special effects! Do you know them?
One Word or Two? Some words sound the same when speaking, but how are they spelled? As one word or two?
Crazy, Colorful, Complicated Adjectives! Did you know there are two different kinds of adjectives and a correct order to writing them? Make sure you get these right.
Confusing Words Here’s a quiz to see if you know how to write some very common (but usually misspelled) words. No one has gotten 100% right yet!
Self-Doubt When stakes are high, self-doubt increases. How to eliminate self-doubt and be filled with self-confidence.
Obliterate Filler Words! OK, so we just really need to eliminate the extra unnecessary words we typically immediately start to use when we usually write stuff. 😉 Be clear and concise!
Do Writers Really Need Editors? Get the inside secrets from a successful writer and an editor!
Starting… Starting… Starting… How to write peoples’ actions correctly and effectively. (Unless you’re from the South! 😉 )
I Know What I Saw In real life, we use our five senses and our sixth sense (intuition) to interpret situations, so we need to write in a way that stimulates readers full senses so your writing comes alive.
Took That There Thing Using slang, jargon, and local phrases only works if you know how to write them correctly.
Punctuation Cheat Sheet! If you want to be viewed as an intelligent writer, master these punctuation tips.
Those … Little … Dots … How do you use those three little dots? And why are there sometimes four of them?
My Little Pet Phrases We are creatures of habit, and we don’t even notice our overly repeated little pet phrases—but readers will!
How, Do, I, Use, Commas? Nearly everyone gets confused with how to use commas. But you don’t want to mess around with them—one company lost $10 million over a missing comma!
Identity Shock! Authors love to write scenes with the lights out, leaving readers in the dark to create visuals. It always backfires—here’s why.
Don’t Kill Parents! Please, please, please don’t take the easy way out and kill the parents so your character is alone in the world. It’s overused and unbelievable, plus family dynamics are powerful when you include them.
T-shirts, Tabasco, and Air Ducts No matter what you write, you will use facts or brand names or real places. If you don’t have these written correctly, your credibility will be questioned!
Don’t Hy-phen-ate Words Automatically Writers love to haphazardly hit the hyphen key. But most words are not hyphenated. Here are tips and common prefixes to help you get it right.
Who is That? When writing about a person, we tend to refer to them as in real life—by nicknames, pet names, formal names, just last names, all kinds of ways. But readers are left wondering, “Who is that?”
Cursing is Cliché Only amateurs (or lazy writers) repeat clichés over and over again. Eliminate cursing (weak, clichéd writing) by using graphic action and intense emotions which grab the reader’s attention.
Genius Alchemy with Words It’s a challenge to use words in new, fresh, captivating ways that instantly take readers into a world more vivid and alive than their own. See how it’s done!
Sneaky Suspicions How to write clues in mysteries so subtly that readers can’t ever truly figure out the outcome, but they are completely hooked until they reach the satisfying end.
Please, No Rhetorical Questions My biggest pet peeve of all! Do you like it when someone asks you an obviously rhetorical question? Why would you do that to your readers??
Hook Readers Instantly The first paragraph of a book has unbelievable power!
I Feel Cheated! Have you ever been lost somewhere and had to turn around and change directions multiple times before finding your destination? It’s extremely frustrating, but writers do that to their readers! *cringe*
Action First! Our brains are wired to notice action/verbs first in order to visualize what we read. Make sure you put the action first!
Silver Eyes “Eyes are the window to the soul.” Here’s how to describe a person’s eyes effectively.
Brilliant Wording Your choice of words can make or break a book. Here’s how to write brilliantly!
Wait—Where Are We? Mixing up countries and languages can be a disaster—or delightful when done correctly.
Edits by Lora 