Scroll through the full chronological listing of our articles to find the information you are looking for or perhaps topics that might interest you.
If you are looking for specific advice, try one of our categories from the main menu or use the search field at the top of the page.
You probably use this structure in your writing occasionally but don’t realize it has a name. It’s the causative. It lets you show the influence of one character over another, such as for control, persuasion, or cooperation. While it’s a relatively simple structure, it has many uses and forms that can add extra depth and…
Can you start a blog anonymously and keep your identity a secret? Yes, you can, and it’s relatively easy to do. Perhaps you want to protect your privacy or avoid potential conflicts with your professional life. For authors who write under a pseudonym, blogging under your pen name is often a good idea. Whatever your reasons,…
The first draft of a short story, novel, or even an article or poem is only for you. Terry Pratchett once said, “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” It doesn’t matter if you are a plotter and work with an outline or a panster (a writer who flies by the seat…
For most writers, using conditional sentences is intuitive. You don’t need to think because they come naturally. While that’s perfectly okay, sometimes it’s worth investigating grammar points that you rarely think about. In this case, you might find that you can do more or add more variety to your writing. Do you know that there…
How To Use The Five Types Of Conditional Sentences Read More »
Every day, you probably read about the difficulties of sites posting product reviews or informational article writing due to the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) search. Headlines and social media posts such as “SEO is dead” or “the days of blogging are over” are commonplace. While it’s true that changes to the way search engines…
If you are a new author, don’t decide on the price of your self-published book at the time of publishing. Book buyers are price-sensitive and have expectations of what an ebook or print book is worth. If you rush your decision, you could be pricing your book too low or too high. Another factor is…
We’ve all experienced the discomforting sensation of an empty stomach. But are you suffering from hunger pains or hunger pangs? For a writer, it’s yet another fixed expression where the similarity between two words can cause confusion. Luckily, the two versions of this expression are generally accepted, but pangs is considered the most correct form.…
Hunger Pangs Or Hunger Pains – Which One Is Correct? Read More »
One of the most powerful tools a writer possesses is the ability to craft word order. Sure, you might think that grammar rules control most aspects, but this is not entirely true. Apart from some standard rules, such as subject-verb-object (SVO), as a writer, you have plenty of options to rearrange words to suit your…
What your characters say in fiction drives your story, but you have two ways to do it. You can use dialogue or reported speech. Active dialogue is the most common. “You never listen to me!” she shouted. However, you can also use reported speech to summarize a character’s words quickly. She told him he had…
When To Use Dialogue Or Reported Speech In Fiction Read More »
If you had asked me yesterday about this fixed expression, I would have said that when worse comes to worst is the correct form. However, when I stumbled upon a text that used the phrase when worst comes to worst, I wondered if my assumption was correct. The trouble with assumptions is that you can…
