10 Writing Rules You Can't Break...And How to Break Them
A guest post by Eric Cummings of On Violence First, there was the “old school.” A bunch of stubborn grammarians got together and decided what defined “proper English.”
9 Editing Tips that Make Your Writing Sparkle
It’s often said that writing is rewriting. Banging out a quick first draft can be fun, but the real grunt work comes in revising your work. Here are nine editing tips that can help you polish your writing until it sparkles: 1. Read aloud
10 Steps to Finding Your Writing Voice
Bonus: Need help finding your writing voice? Click here for free tips. I write only because / There is a voice within me / That will not be still.
Writer’s Digest - Writing Prompts
Write a scene that includes a character speaking a different language, speaking in a thick accent, or otherwise speaking in a way that is unintelligibe to the other characters. (Note: You don't necessarily need to know the language the character is speaking—be creative with it!) Describe a character's reaction to something without explaining what it is. See if your fellow prompt responders can guess what it is. Write a story or a scene about one character playing a prank on another. Describe the scene from both characters' points of view.
a concise guide to important grammar, punctuation, and writing style rules
This site is a concise guide to some of the most commonly violated rules of writing, grammar, and punctuation. It is intended for all writers as an aid in the learning and refining of writing skills. Explore each of The Rules to see examples of its application and find references that provide additional explanations and examples on the Web and in print. Buy a book or find a website that will help you to improve your writing skills. Look up grammatical terms in the Glossary. For a wider variety of information, check the related FAQs (frequently asked questions).
50 Strategies For Making Yourself Work
Written by Jerry Oltion Copyright © 2001 by Jerry Oltion Work avoidance is one of the major paradoxes of the writing profession. Generally, writers want to write (or want to have written), but all too often we find ourselves doing anything else but. We’ll mow lawns, do the dishes, polish silverware–anything to keep from facing the blank page. At the same time we know we eventually have to get to work, so we come up with all sorts of strategies for forcing ourselves to the keyboard. Sometimes a single strategy works beautifully for an entire writer’s career (for instance: for over 40 years Fred Pohl wrote four pages a day no matter what, after which he was free to polish all the silverware he wanted), but in my own case I’ve discovered that any particular strategy only works for a couple of months before I learn to subvert it.
25 Things You Should Know About Character
Previous iterations of the “25 Things” series: 25 Things Every Writer Should Know 25 Things You Should Know About Storytelling
How to Write Thousands of Words Every Single Week
How much do you write every week? It’s probably not as much as you’d like. A few years ago, I had all day, every day to write – but I’d still end up spending the whole of Monday writing a couple of pages for my critique group. My novel of the time was progressing at a snail’s pace. Nowadays, if I still wrote at that rate, I’d be broke. (And the blogosphere would be a little emptier.)
32 iPad Apps That Writers Just Love
I am pleased to share the following guest post with my readers. Having a love for Apple products and recently adding an iPad to my collection makes this post a perfect read for me. Although I have not had the time to write about must have apps for the iPad (like I did for must have iPhone apps), my guest writer from Accredited Online Colleges has. This list is full of fabulous apps that every writer should have and I hope you all find it as helpful as I have. Today’s writers benefit from an incredible assortment of digital tools from which they can draw inspiration and productivity.
20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Makes
I’ve edited a monthly magazine for more than six years, and it’s a job that’s come with more frustration than reward. If there’s one thing I am grateful for — and it sure isn’t the pay — it’s that my work has allowed endless time to hone my craft to Louis Skolnick levels of grammar geekery. As someone who slings red ink for a living, let me tell you: grammar is an ultra-micro component in the larger picture; it lies somewhere in the final steps of the editing trail; and as such it’s an overrated quasi-irrelevancy in the creative process, perpetuated into importance primarily by bitter nerds who accumulate tweed jackets and crippling inferiority complexes. But experience has also taught me that readers, for better or worse, will approach your work with a jaundiced eye and an itch to judge. While your grammar shouldn’t be a reflection of your creative powers or writing abilities, let’s face it — it usually is.
