Writing

If you find yourself wanting to avoid using “I” to start a sentence, don’t worry, because it’s a common issue. It doesn’t matter if you are writing emails, reports, letters, social media posts, or even books; you need more variety. When too many of your sentences start with “I,” your writing can seem repetitive, flat,…

Using the same linking words in writing over and over will make for a boring read, as will any form of repetition. It’s almost a reflex to reach for but, so, or, and when you’re writing quickly. Yet, it doesn’t have to be that way. Like any part of your writing, variety is essential for…

Learning how to break a sentence on purpose is one of the easiest ways to make your writing more interesting. But breaking sentences is not about making mistakes or not following grammar rules. It’s a deliberate technique that you can use to add emphasis, create rhythm, or bring more variety to your writing. It doesn’t…

You might think that polite words in writing are harmless, but some are words that weaken writing without you noticing. When you write, you want to sound considerate, friendly, and understanding. Yet, certain words you use for politeness can quietly dilute your message. Using everyday words like just, maybe, or I think is often a…

Almost every day, I read articles warning that writing is dead. Everywhere I look, such as blogs, books, news articles, and even obvious AI-generated content, writers are saying that human writing is disappearing. But none say that reading, speaking, and communicating are dead. The current writing panic isn’t really that new. Almost every generation has…

Two common types of fixed expressions we use in writing are idioms and clichés. Idioms can help with variety by expressing ideas in a figurative way instead of a long-winded literal explanation. Clichés, although similar, are phrases that we see repeated so often that they risk showing a lack of thought in writing. While both…

You always want to give your writing more punch, and finding ways to end a sentence is one of the best. Strong sentence endings can be more memorable, or create a rhythm to your writing to help keep your readers’ interest. You can leave them hanging in suspense, create emphasis, bring closure, or use a…

Your thesaurus is a writer’s go-to tool for finding uncommon words that you hope will give a sentence a lift. Very often, you might have ten or even twenty options to replace a single word. But do you simply want to avoid repetition or impress a reader with your vocabulary? Using an extended vocabulary is…

When you want to describe smells in writing, it’s easy to feel lost for words. You can skip over it by saying something smelled good or bad, but shortcuts like that won’t connect with readers. Imagine describing arriving rain after a period of drought. It’s a delicate, sweet, earthy scent. Fortunately, there’s a word for…

I was very surprised to discover that Gen Z writers are reading my writing and publishing advice articles. Not only that, but they also represent the largest percentage of my readers. When I started writing, typewriters, notebooks, and pencils were the only writing tools, and telephones were rotary dial. Dial-up Internet modems came a long…