Choose the Clearest Word, Not the One That Sounds Most Impressive Selecting the right word is important for writers. In fact, aside from using the correct punctuation to frame those words, it is the only thing. This may seem shocking but at the most basic level, all we do as writers are figure out what […]
How to Identify Speakers in Dialogue Here are some options to identify speakers in dialogue. 1. Tag your dialogue with any descriptive word other than said, such as exclaimed, interjected, sputtered, yelled, and so forth. I learned this in Middle School and followed it for many years. Now the recommendation is to avoid doing this, […]
There is only one, single decree for you to obey as you write If you spend any time at all learning about writing and working to improve your craft you will have heard all kinds of advice on what to do or not do. These are often presented as rules, incontrovertible requirements for us to […]
Trying to follow every bit of writing advice can push writers into a no-win situation I listen to many podcasts, follow blogs, read magazines, attend webinars, and study books so that I can become a better writer. But some days I wonder if it helps. Some days my head spins with confusion, and I want […]
Our writing style will help us find work, sell our writing, and grow an audience. When people hire me they often say “I like your writing style” or share some similar sentiment. (I do content marketing, ghostwriting, commercial freelance work, and whatnot.) I’m glad they appreciate how I write. It helps us start our working […]
How We Use Them is Key I’m not musically inclined, and that may be an understatement. I’ve always been in awe of composers and songwriters. They have so few notes to work with. It seems after a while, they would run out of combinations, that everything that could be created, would be created, with no […]
How to Use the Repetition of Sounds without Overdoing It Are you alliterate? I don’t mean literate (that you can read) or illiterate (that you can’t read) but alliterate (that you can use alliteration: the repetition of similar sounds at the beginning of words). Are you prone to exercise alliteration when you write? I am […]
An explanation of what constitutes the passive voice is too technical to fully cover—not that I would try anyway—but here is an example: Passive: Passive writing is something to be avoided. Active: Avoid passive writing. Notice that the active version is both clearer and more concise. This is key. If you, like me, have trouble […]
Last week we considered four aspects of a writer’s voice. Today, we’ll discuss how to find our voice. This isn’t mysterious or evasive; there’s no multistep process—and it isn’t hard to understand. Seriously. Here are four thoughts on our writing voice. We Already Have a Voice: We need to recognize that if we write, we […]
It’s a lot easier to understand what our writing voice is as a writer if we first look at its components. I see four elements that comprise a writer’s voice. Writing Voice Personality Each person has a personality: how we act, appear, and relate to others. Likewise, each writer has a personality, how we come […]