As a copy editor, I have to read a lot of freelancers’ articles, and often times, I am amazed at the interesting grammar choices they bring into the sterile, grammar disease-free environment of our editorial office. They bring in grammar flavors of the month, going in cycles of wanting to put a comma here oneContinue reading “To hyphenate or not to hypenate”
Category Archives: Writing Articles
Mind that space bar: Put your best foot forward
Let’s be honest, no matter what sphere of writing you might be interested int the writing world is extremely competitive. With this in mind, it is important to put your best foot forward, to make a good impression. You want your writing to shine, to stand out from the rest. To do this, you willContinue reading “Mind that space bar: Put your best foot forward”
Exposition and Dialogue: How to Get the Perfect Mix
I will never forget finishing my first novel, or how quick I was to show it to all my English teachers, hoping for feedback as to whether it was good or needed some TLC — never even thinking that I might kill the project in the future (which I did, though I reminiscence fondly onContinue reading “Exposition and Dialogue: How to Get the Perfect Mix”
Writing numbers, a quick guide
I’m going to ease back into the blog with an easy topic: numbers. So when do you spell them out or put in the Arabic numerals (ex. 0, 1, 2, 3, etc.)? The simple guideline is when the figure is under 10 you spell it out while anything greater than 10 uses numerals. This alsoContinue reading “Writing numbers, a quick guide”
Character Series: Habits — The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Habits — the good and the bad… and sometimes plain ugly — can add spice to any character, making them complex and flawed. Habits are routine behaviors that occur repeatedly and can happen on a subconscious level. So what habits do your characters have? Are they good or bad? Some habits only appear when aContinue reading “Character Series: Habits — The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”
It’s Paramedic Style!
Well actually, it’s called Paramedic Method and it can de-clutter writing by forcing writers to consider their word choice, in addition to pinpointing words aren’t pulling their own weight. Beyond targeting wordiness, the Paramedic Method helps writers look at passive sentence and consider active variations. How does the Paramedic Method work? Well, it is bestContinue reading “It’s Paramedic Style!”
Names: You have one, I have one, characters have one
Most writers will send hours pouring over names, searching for that perfect one that fits a character like a shoe. We can spend hours on this endeavor until we finally arrive at “The One.” There are many name website out there to help us on this task; I personally love http://www.behindthename.com, which is my go-toContinue reading “Names: You have one, I have one, characters have one”
World-building Series: Money, money, money
Money truly makes the world go around, so it is a given writers’ built worlds will have it and that the characters that inhabit the world will have to use it at some point: whether to get provisions or procure lodging. Money, or currency, has seen interesting transformations in our world, evolving several times beforeContinue reading “World-building Series: Money, money, money”
Setting: Hobos in Outer Space
I cannot remember where I heard this phrase — I imagine it was while I was at Purdue — but whenever I think of setting, it springs to mind. Sometimes characters just seem to float in a void, especially in works belonging to fledgling writers. There is nothing around, or at least, the reader isContinue reading “Setting: Hobos in Outer Space”
Character Series: Education
What was your characters’ education like? It is an aspect of your characters that you should know since education will be a deciding factor on what jobs your characters can have, their world views and how easily they can navigate through life. Ask yourself what type of students your characters were. Did they engage inContinue reading “Character Series: Education”
Blood & Ink 