Last time, we drew the line between the descriptivists and the prescriptivists. Now it’s time to decide which side is right and which side is sleeping on the couch.
Imagery is a very important aspect of fiction writing, one that many beginning writers tend to forgo in favor of heightened dialogue or plot.
We already did a post about commonly confused words. This list deals specifically with homophones that are easily mistaken. Homophones are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings. (No wonder English is the hardest language to learn!) These sets of homophones can trick even the most talented of writers.
1. [...]
Tired of following grammar “rules” that don’t make any sense? It will probably astound you to know that these rules you think you have to follow aren’t even real rules. They’re myths; legends passed on from generation to generation of confused writers. You don’t have to be a victim anymore.
Myth 1: You should never split [...]
We’ve already explained that sometimes there are excellent reasons to use passive voice . Let us be clear once again that the use of passive voice is NOT a grammatical error, no matter what your professor says. It is a matter of both style and clarity — there are several reasons, however, to avoid [...]
An infinitive begins with “to,” followed by a verb or verb phrase, such as “to walk,” “to go,” or “to explode.” A split infinitive occurs when an adjective is inserted between “to” and the verb.
The last time I discussed writer’s block, I mentioned that the best cure is to simply write. To expand on that, I have created a list of 100 random jump-starters to get your writing juices flowing again. You can pick any that suit you, or close your eyes and point to one on the screen; it doesn’t matter which ones you do, just as long as you’re working that creative brain of yours.
Writer’s block is frustrating, but here are some tips for getting past it.
Problem:
Every time you set your pen to paper, some testy copy editor runs over and writes “comma splice” all over your work.
Solution:
Learn to use the comma.
You probably got a cheat sheet of these commonly misused words in your middle school language arts class. It’s time for a refresher course. Nothing screams “I have no idea what I’m doing!” worse than these easily avoidable mistakes.
