Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words Peter Lyle DeHaan’s latest book is Successful Author FAQs. Do you have questions about writing? Publishing? Veteran author, publisher, editor, and freelance writer, Peter Lyle DeHaan answers questions writers often ask. In 15 topical chapters, tackling over 100 questions, Peter […]
Some writers discover as they write while others plan their journey before they start In writing, as in life, people tend to follow two modes: pantsing and plotting. On one side are the pantsers, those who write by the seat of their pants. I prefer the label of “discovery writers.” They don’t know where their […]
I used to be addicted to alliteration: the repetition of similar sounds near each other in a sentence, usually at the start of words. “Similar sounds” is an example of alliteration. An extreme example would be “Similar sounds starting successive words…” Just as some people consider a pun as the highest form of humor, I […]
How authors can resume writing without losing time or momentum When I started writing, it always took me several writing sessions to finish anything. I fell into a bad habit. When I would resume writing (even after taking a short break) I would re-read everything I had written so far, editing along the way. Then […]
Writers are often unsure of how to format thoughts in their writing. Thoughts are best put in italic and do not include quotes. For example: I hope this description makes sense to you. An attribute tag, such as “he thought” is not used, since the person doing the thinking should be obvious from the context. […]
I once signed up for a trial of grammarly.com. It’s a most impressive grammar checker. The problem was that it was too sophisticated for me. It flagged many things to check, but I lacked the needed background to comprehend the issues. Many of their suggestions were beyond me. However, I recently took a fresh look […]
As you consider when to write, it is also critical to consider the issue of where to write. Not only does this depend on your circumstances, but also on your personality. While writing is often a solitary process, some prefer to do so in the company of others. They may opt to write amid the […]
In developing as a writer, it is critical to write every day—or at least almost every day. We need to discover when to write. The first step is to determine the best time for you to write. If writing is important, then give it the best part of your day; make it a priority. Don’t […]
Are you are a writer? Do you want to be a writer? If so, are you writing every day? I heard it said that if you’re a writer and not writing every day, then you’re not really a writer, you’re a reader. While that may seem harsh, it is something to seriously ponder. Although it […]
Failing to stay current on writing trends hurts writers and lessens their work It seems everything I learned in school about writing was wrong. Okay, that’s an overstatement. But many of the lessons I mastered in school no longer apply or are just plain wrong. However, I don’t think my teachers were in error over […]