. It’s a word with connotations, all of them bad. “I can’t stand your attitude” is the prelude to a barrage of personal failings that start and end with nothing good. This seems strange, because at first glance, “attitude” seems like a neutral word. But let’s examine the definitions that Merriam-Webster posts for it. Aha.… Continue reading The Pep-Squad Police and YOUR Attitude
There’s a perversion of the English language that goes around, and it sounds like this: “Don’t let yourself be bullied!” Let. As if you’re totally just allowing it. “Don’t let him hit you! Don’t let her run you down with a truck!” Oh, okay, I’ll get right on that. Oh, wait. Bullying is one of… Continue reading Nobody “Lets” Themselves Be Bullied
One of the downsides of doing lots of formatting and design work is you begin to recognize common fonts. “But why is that a downside? Isn’t that cool to be able to look at a brochure and go ‘Calibre, Calibre, Times New Roman?’” No. Because most people use the same fonts over and over and… Continue reading Papyrus: Looking Terrible Since 332 BC
Most of writing is pretty subjective. What styles we use, adjectives we choose, the rhythms and phrasing—they all depend on the author’s voice. That said, there are a few things we can all agree are pretty awful no matter who writes them. Not with characterization or plotting or world-building, but with the building blocks we all use:… Continue reading The Ten Commandments of Writing
Okay, last week was all about how to start editing; this week is the nitty-gritty as I show you how to edit your manuscript. Remember, editing is one of those no-right-no-wrong processes. You might have a technique that differs vastly from mine, and that’s fine. But if you don’t have a clue, give this a… Continue reading Edit Or Die, Because
You wrote a book! It’s done! Huzzah, huzzah, well done you! Are you done? No: first you must edit. But what the heck does that mean? A year ago, I was in the same boat as you. I read online that I should edit my work, so I did. As in, I read it aloud,… Continue reading The Heck Is “Editing?”
As you can probably guess from the title up there, I can’t spell. Like, I can’t. I’m awful at it. If it weren’t for the wonders of spellcheck, this post would be riddled with various errors that I would never, ever notice. You’d be amazed how many people have tried to call me a moron… Continue reading My Inability to Spell Doesn’t Mean I’m Stupid
As a writer, I am keenly aware of the words I use, especially when typing things others will read. Not only am I careful of what I say, I watch how I say it, all the better to analyze, and improve. It’s a constant struggle. And that is why, on Sunday morning, I nearly spit… Continue reading Watch Your Words: The Un-sexy Side of Double Entendres
Your character is visiting a land where they do not speak the language, but they still need to communicate with the locals. In week one’s post, we talked about how much they will have trouble learning the language. Week two was all about the differences between languages and why one language might be easier to… Continue reading Sometimes It Pays To Be Silent: Language Is Not Always Helpful
I don’t really follow politics, I don’t watch the news, I don’t read the papers, because whenever I do, I become hopelessly enraged at all the things I cannot change. Mostly I stick to small local stuff that I can actually have a hand in. But the events of the day trickle in anyway via articles… Continue reading Thug and Other Words That Have Lost Their Political Correctness
Under-Paid, Over-Enthused 