So, we talked about what to do to start your writing for the day, but how about how to finish it at night? Here are some tips: Round out your thoughts. Leaving a thought half-finished often means losing it altogether between writing sessions. The writing doesn’t have to be perfect,…
Take Your Starting Positions…
Quick! How fast can you assume your starting position? When you sit down to write, is everything ready for you to just … go? Are you reaching for your pen or your keyboard even as you sit down in your chair? Do you keep everything ready to go at an…
MM: Overused Vocabulary
One of the most basic tips for good writing: Don’t over-use the same word and don’t use hackneyed phrases that have been used so much they become cliche. I notice this the most in my “casual” writing, things like e-mails to friends, comments on blogs, and the like. One of…
National Grammar Day
Well, I wish I’d known this yesterday…. Not only was March Fourth the only day on the calendar that is a complete sentence, but it was also National Grammar Day. Who knew? (I mean, other than Sharon at Daily Writing Tips, which is where I saw it.)
March Forth!
You realize, of course, that today’s date is actually a complete sentence? A command, to be precise. “March Forth!” It still amazes me that I was well out of college before I realized that this date was actually grammatically correct–the only one of the year. My sister calls it “Parade…
MM: Exclamation
Too many exclamation points make you sound like an overly-excited teenager, jabbering on the telephone to her BFF. (Like, OMG!) Now, obviously, there are times when you need to use them. Nobody calmly says, “Stop,” to a toddler running toward a busy road. If there’s a fire, you shout, “Fire!” I mean, the punctuation exists for a reason.
Blog-Worthy Writing
So, Sol asked about how the rules of writing for a blog are different than the rules for other kinds of writing. Now, this is a topic that has been covered at length by better bloggers than I, but it’s a good question and one that I’ve been circling around.…
MM:
Out of so many grammatical stumbling points, I can’t choose one on which to focus today . . . So, let me ask you. Do you have any specific questions you’d like to see addressed? Topics I have not covered yet? Tips you’d like to you share? Honestly, I’m at…
Knowledge TO Power
I wrote last week about the “Knowledge is Power” theory of writing, but here’s the corollary: If you tie yourself too tightly to “fact” or “experience,” you are effectively limiting your potential. Instead, use that knowledge as a springboard. This is most obvious when writing fiction. Fiction thrives on conflict,…
MM: May I Quote You?
Let’s just do a quick run-down on how you use quotation marks, shall we? (American-style, that is–I know some of these rules are different with British usage, but can only speak for American-English.) Simply put–and it should be redundant–quotation marks are used for quotations. If you are quoting some of…