Writing

You need things to write about for a new article or blog post, and the clock is ticking. But you’ve run out of ideas. Every writer knows the feeling. You want to find something new to write about but can’t find a new idea. Trying to find topic ideas can become stressful. You enjoy writing, but…

Numbers in writing always need a little extra care because there is always the choice between using numerals or spelling out a number in full. Using numbers is essential for clear communication, yet the rules can sometimes be confusing. Whether you are writing a report, an email, or even a novel, knowing when to spell…

I originally wrote a positive review of LivingWriter, but I am no longer able to recommend it to authors. While the app was a fine tool for writing a book initially, recent changes to the web and desktop versions have caused issues. In addition, my own experience with the program’s support in recent months has…

The first tip for starting to write a new book is to have a plan. A snowflake outline can help you develop this plan, especially for fiction books. An outline for nonfiction books, such as memoirs and biographies, is relatively straightforward. You usually list the events in chronological order. Other nonfiction books, such as Self-help…

Before you publish anything online, it’s a good idea to choose from a range of free plagiarism checkers to check your text. You’re writing original content. But some parts of what you write might be duplicate content or accidental plagiarism. It isn’t the same as copied content, though. If you use a plagiarism detector, you can…

Question tags in dialogue are not always a good idea. They are often called tag questions in American English and are very common in spoken English. They are easy to form using a positive or negative auxiliary verb to turn a statement into a question. You live in San Francisco, don’t you? By using rising…

Are you ready to start writing a fantasy novel? Well, nothing is stopping you with these free fantasy writing tools. It is a fantastic writing genre because you can let your imagination run totally free. Another good reason is that fantasy stories are very popular with readers, especially young adults. If you are eager and…

Character development is essential to fiction writing, and a character profile template can help you. You need to get to know your fictional characters well before you start writing your story. No matter what genre you are writing, you should create profiles for your main characters before you begin. Creating a quick bio profile template…

Fiction writing only works when the plot of a story makes perfect sense to a reader. “The king died, and then the queen died” is a story. “The king died, and then the queen died of grief” is a plot. E. M. Forster It’s an old quote, but I was reminded of it when I…

Writing tools today are a long way removed from typewriters and carbon paper. The days of sending or posting typed or printed manuscripts are well and truly over. Every word you write now is digital, electronic, and published via the Internet. You exchange drafts by email or share them on Google Drive. If you attend…