Writing

When you describe a night in writing, you are setting the scene for your story or a new chapter. You want to show your readers the setting rather than tell them about the night using a couple of quick adjectives. Highly descriptive or figurative language and a variety of grammar structures help you paint the…

It’s quite unusual to find a memoir written in the present tense. When we think of a memoir, we know it’s a story about the past and should, therefore, be written in the past tense. However, that’s not always the case because there is no hard and fast rule that says authors can’t choose between…

Like me, you probably didn’t pay much attention to advances in artificial intelligence (AI) over the years. It was only after OpenAI launched ChatGPT, a free research and writing tool, in late November 2022 that everyone started to take notice. Quite suddenly, writers began to fear that AI had the potential to replace them. Fast…

Do you think about how you use a level of formality when you write and publish articles or blog posts? Your choice is not so much a grammatical issue as it is about your tone, style, and writing voice. That’s why your content needs to be in a style appropriate for your topic so that…

You want to check and correct your writing before you post it online. But you don’t want to pay for an expensive subscription. That’s fair enough because popular grammar checkers like Grammarly and Prowritingaid are often too expensive for many writers. You might be a student, a part-time writer, or simply starting to take an…

As a general rule, most style guides and grammar references state that you should not use contractions in formal writing. However, it is a point open to debate by writers, editors, and grammarians. Some argue that language should be more relaxed now and that the days of stiff, formal writing are in the past. It…

Words that sound like noises, such as boom, splash, and meow, are called onomatopoeia or echoism. While it’s handy to know these two terms, onomatopoeia is definitely a word that is difficult to spell, pronounce, and remember. Luckily, echoism is much easier. But by either name, they are words that all writers use to add…

Can you use one-word sentences in writing? Definitely. You will often see sentences consisting of only one word in all types and styles of writing. The brevity and impact can help in making a point or adding emphasis. When you read fiction, you will likely come across them quite often. A sentence of one word…

Nothing is written in stone, but word count guidelines can give you a useful clue for a new writing project. You might be staring at a blank page and wondering where to start and how many words you should write. It doesn’t matter if you’re a new blogger, content writer, or author; the number of…

How much of your valuable writing time do you lose fighting with new technology, software, or applications? Trying new tools is always tempting, but how much new or extra value do they bring to your writing or publishing projects? The most time-consuming aspect is the learning curve associated with using a new tool, including discovering…