Correction tools are a quick and easy way to check your writing, but sometimes you need to ignore a grammar checker tool’s suggestions. Nothing is perfect, and that’s particularly true for automated or AI-based writing tools. While it’s rarer now, if your checker still has an “Accept All” button, never use it. Check every recommendation…
Yes, it’s absolutely grammatically correct to modify an adverb with another adverb. However, being grammatically correct doesn’t necessarily mean that a phrase sounds natural or is easy to read. It’s perfectly normal to say, “He did quite well in the essay competition.” But does “He did absolutely horribly in the essay competition” sound like a…
We all know about AI grammar and spelling checkers, but do you use AI to edit your writing? Many writers work on their own and don’t have access to a professional editor, a proofreader, or even a helpful second pair of eyes. Correcting obvious errors is easy with online checkers, but it’s not so easy…
Like a print book, you should always start an ebook chapter on a new page. It gives a reader an expected break, which is part of making ebook reading as natural as possible. However, pages in an ebook are not fixed like a printed book. They are flexible and depend on a reader’s device to…
Yes, Always Start An Ebook Chapter On A New Page Read More »
The term squinting modifiers refers to a word or phrase that can appear to modify words or phrases on either side of it in a sentence. Because of this, readers may find it confusing to understand which words the modifier is intended to modify. The name is quite apt because squint can mean to look…
Squinting Modifiers: A Misplaced Modifier That Confuses Readers Read More »
When you publish your work online, do you think about who can use your writing? I’m not referring to copyright ownership, but to practical uses of your content that you may not be aware of or fully understand. If you publish an article or essay on a public platform or social media site, can the…
Who Can Use Your Writing When You Publish Online? Read More »
You know that repetitive sentence starters make for poor writing and, worse, poor reading. A quick scan down your draft can reveal repeated sentence starters, particularly at the beginning of paragraphs. With a little more proofreading, you’ll probably find more. Luckily, it’s a pretty easy problem to overcome. All you need to do is change…
Are You Hiding Your Repetitive Sentence Starters? Read More »
Yes, you can certainly use AI to design your book cover. But should you? For authors, AI can complete almost any task now, from outlining a story, writing the manuscript, to producing a book cover. Is that what you want to do? And more importantly, is it what readers want to read? Yes, it’s all…
Most advice on wasted words in writing focuses on removing weak modifiers, unnecessary adverbs, and empty sentence starters. The usual targets are words like just, really, very, and actually, along with phrases such as “With that in mind…” or “Just to be clear…” When I use my writing checker, it highlights plenty of words and…
Why Wasted Words In Writing Are Not Always Wasteful Read More »
A character list is an optional section in a novel. Whether you should include one depends partly on the genre and the complexity of your story. While a list of characters is usually unnecessary in most fiction, it can be useful for certain types of stories. The number of characters is another factor to consider.…
