We’ve discussed genuine writing here on the blog. We’ve also talked about crafting convincing characters on The Creative Penn. But what are some practical, nitty-gritty tips for actually creating believable characters in our writing? What separates a real, relatable character from a stereotypical, “meh” one? When writing a novel an author should create living people; people, not characters. A character […]
What to Write When You Have No Words
No words? Write hard and clear about what hurts.” ~ Ernest Hemingway I was going to get married last year. But I didn’t. Less than two months before the date, I had to call off the wedding. In a very real sense, it has been like grieving a death. Not only the death of a […]
Write Winning Sentences: 7 Tips to Vary Your Sentence Structure
Vary your sentence structure. How many times have you heard you have to vary your sentence structure? What does that mean? How do we do it? Well, you have come to the write place! Today we talk about seven different sentence openers we can employ to avoid dull writing. Also, just going to say: Andrew […]
Using Literary Devices to Create Words of Art
Part of what makes language incredible is that we can play around with words and phrases and make them pretty while still getting our point across. And we can do that by using literary devices. (Click here for a complete list of them!) Words create sentences; sentences create paragraphs; sometimes paragraphs quicken and begin to […]
Avoiding the Grammar Police: Part 2
In our last article, we talked about how to avoid the grammar police in our conversation. Today we discuss three mistakes to avoid in our written grammar. English is a difficult language. It can be understood through tough, thorough thought, though.” ~ Unknown 1. For Their Sakes, Use the Correct “There”! (They’re always watching, after all…) […]
Avoiding the Grammar Police: Part 1
We all know those people—the ones we’re afraid to slip up around, either in writing or in speech: the grammar police. I don’t judge people based on race, creed, colour or gender. I judge people based on spelling, grammar, punctuation and sentence structure.” ~ Unknown Do not fear. Today I share three tips for sliding by these […]
