by Dodici Azpadu
Most standard grammar texts include a section of pairs of words that are frequently misspelled and misused. If you are in doubt about a usage, look it up. You can’t rely on the computer grammar checker.
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Misused Words: Farther/Further, Few/Less, That/Which
Finding My Writer’s Voice
by Olive Balla
Science tells us no two humans are exactly alike, that each of us is a distinctive amalgamation of DNA and life experiences. It follows, then, that inside every writer lives a one-of-a-kind Voice,
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Writing Verse Novels
by Caroline Starr Rose
Have you ever considered writing a novel in verse? Verse novels are stories told through unrhymed poetry. If the format sounds interesting, here are some things to keep in mind:
Is the subject matter right for poetry?
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An Interview with Author Olive Balla
Olive Balla is a great-grandmother, retired educator, part-time professional musician, and novelist. Her love of storytelling began as a child with inventing stories—especially ghost stories—to entertain her friends. After she got serious about writing, it took a journey of almost seven years to see her debut mystery/suspense novel in print.
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On Being Woefully Platformless
by Bentley Clark
I first heard the term “writer’s platform” in 2009 at the annual From Start to Sales Writers Conference at UNM Continuing Education in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As I am given to daydreaming, I imagined a café at a London train station populated with authors feverishly writing in poetically tattered Moleskines.
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Backstory: TMI (Too Much Information)
by Sarah Baker
Some of you may have come into this fantastic world of writing by a logical path; you aced junior high grammar, paid close attention to high school composition instructors, earned degrees in creative writing,
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Revising Fiction: 13 Ways to Show Character Emotions, Part 2
by Kirt Hickman
Last month we began to look at creative ways in which you can show your characters’ emotions effectively. To recap, we learned to:
1. Use emotional honesty.
2. Convey the source of the emotion.
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Critique Circle Basics: Setting Up an Effective and Efficient Support Group
by K. Kitts
Writers who have been working the craft for a while understand the advantages of participating in a critique circle, but if you are new at this, you might need some convincing. First off, having external motivation especially if you write fiction on spec (i.e.,
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Grammatically Correct: Pronoun Consistency
by Dodici Azpadu
Correct use of pronouns includes agreement with an antecedent, clear reference to an antecedent, and appropriate case selection. An antecedent is the noun that a pronoun substitutes for. All related pronouns and antecedents must agree in number—all singular or all plural.
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Murdering English: Justifiable Homicide?
by Olive Balla
I just drove by, for the umpteenth time, a sign outside a shop characterizing something going on inside as a “Huge Bead Sale.” Each time I pass the sign, my eyes are drawn to it and I begin,
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