We want to write powerful dialogue and avoid stilted conversations. Have you ever run into dialogue that goes something like this? “Hi, Mark,” Cindy said. “Hi, Cindy,” Mark said. “How was your week?” Cindy asked Mark. “It was great, Cindy. How was yours?” Mark asked. “It was kind of rough, Mark. Thanks for asking.” Cindy […]
Houston, a Problem Is Had by Us: Avoiding the Passive Voice
Imagine if that’s the call NASA received: “Houston, a problem is had by us!” A little too wordy and not quite as impactful as, “Houston, we have a problem!” This is just one example of why avoiding the passive voice is so vital. A bigger boat is going to be needed by you.” ~ Chief […]
3 Writing Rules You Didn’t Know You Needed
Writing rules are important. And not just William Safire’s hilarious list of self-contradictory writing rules, but also the grammatical basics—the obvious and the obscure. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.” ~ William Safire, Self-Contradicting Rule #13 Today, we discuss […]
How to Write From Your Heart Without Getting Carried Away
Write from your heart or write from your brain? We’ve all heard people tell us to follow our hearts; others instruct us not to follow but to lead them. Which is correct and how does it pertain to writing? I’m going to strike a balance halfway. As an over-thinker, I tend to let my brain go hog wild, sucking the heart—the […]
3 Ways to Make Your Academic Writing Creative
Today we address the most exciting, earth-shatteringly-amazing, raise-your-hands-and-rejoice writing topic ever: academic writing. Wait, what? Exciting? Don’t you mean boring? You’re right—academic writing (think nonfiction, research, educational) is easily stiff and formal, and what’s so exciting about that? Well, here’s the thing. It may be formal, but it doesn’t have to be boring. If we […]
The Greatest Writing Rule of All Time
It’s time to tackle the greatest writing rule of all time. Can you guess what it is from the quote below? Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” ~ Anton Chekhov “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken […]
