In my work, I sometimes receive emails from people for whom English is a secondary language. Although they write using words I know, they often string them together in confusing ways. Sometimes I end up on their website, trying to gain perspective. Confusing emails are bad enough, but I’m decidedly less tolerant of websites spouting […]
Category: Writing and Publishing
Writing and publishing articles by author Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD
I’ve been a long-time subscriber to Readers Digest. Although I read every joke and anecdote, I only read some of the articles. (You may draw your own conclusion about what that means.) A favorite feature of mine is “Word Power,” a multiple-choice vocab test, which for me sometimes ends up more like a “multiple guess” […]
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Copy and Paste Plagiarism
At work, I receive a steady stream of article submissions for my magazines and websites. Lately, I’ve noticed something alarming: plagiarism. It’s not that I’m on the lookout for it, but some authors don’t even bother to cover their tracks. They copy content from a website and paste it directly into their article, including the […]
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Perfect Proofing Practices
It’s hard for most people to proof their own writing. I’m no exception. For my magazines, I hire a proofreader to check my work and the other submissions that will appear in each issue. For my books, I pay a copy editor to catch my errors. For blogs, I rely on my wife and friends […]
I call myself an “iteration writer,” meaning that through a process of repeated passes, or iterations, I fine-tune my writing until I achieve the results I desire. While some writers write quickly and then edit extensively, I’m not one of them. My first draft is generally good—not finished good, but respectable. When writing, each time […]
The first writing conference I attended had no authors with published books, which was discouraging. The second conference had several, which was intimidating. Although these published authors were in a minority, they loomed large. We, unpublished attendees comprised a silent majority. At the first conference, our speaker said only three percent of writers make their […]
I’ve met many people who talk about writing. Writing is something they’ll do later: maybe next year, as soon as life slows down, or when they retire. But if we catch up with them next year, when life has slowed down (does that ever happen?), or after they retire, I suspect they’ll still be talking […]
How to Be Happy and Successful at Work and in Life by Simply Changing Your Mind By Barbara Burke (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) Promoted as “a customer service fable,” The Napkin, the Melon & the Monkey is ambitiously subtitled: How to Be Happy and Successful at Work and in Life by Simply Changing Your Mind. […]
Here are seven simple tips I use to make my writing stronger. Applying these seven simple tips will make your writing stronger—they help mine.
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Should You Use an Outline?
Should you use an outline when you write? The answer is maybe. If an outline helps you organize your thoughts, gives your piece structure, or streamlines the writing process, then use it. However, if an outline constrains your creativity, presents a roadblock to starting, or slows you down, then don’t use one. Sometimes I use […]