Does Anyone Really Know What Makes a Story Good?
By Jay Wilburn
While there are some writing conventions that are generally agreed upon, the subtle things that make a story good may be more intangible than we like to think.
Lessons from 10 Years of Writing About Grammar
In:
capitalization, gender neutral pronouns, Grammar, Inclusive Language, List, Memes, Oxford comma, plain language, style guides
In 10 years, I've given a lot of grammar advice. Some of it is bullshit now, but some of it is truer than ever.
What Tools Do You Use to Edit Your Manuscripts?
By Cina Pelayo
Do you use any editing softwares to perfect your writing? Here is a sampling of tools available.
2020 Hindsight: 10 Years Worth of Grammar Advice
It's a new decade! Let's look back on 10 years of giving grammar advice.
10 Things You Didn't Know About Noah Webster, the Inventor of American English
Happy 260th Birthday to the man whose name is synonymous with “Go Look It Up!” (Which is the pre-cursor to today’s “Google It!”)
Why Microsoft Word's New Grammar and Style Corrections Suck
By Peter Derk
Why is the new Microsoft Word trying to boss me around?
8 Mini Grammar Studies in Modern Music
By Holly Slater
Music is a great way to remember specific details. When you take a closer look at the lyrics in certian songs, you can easily remember tricky grammar devices and spend less time looking things up.
6 Tips For Cleaning Up Your Dirty Words (Grammatically, Of Course)
By Holly Slater
You don’t want your expletives to be too dirty. I mean, the fun kind of dirty, yes, but dirty, lousy with grammar and punctuation mistakes? No fuckin’ way.
10 Mistakes (Almost) Every Rookie Writer Makes — Part Two
Or, Stuff That Makes You Look Wet Behind the Ears, Part Two: The Craft Edition.
Modifier Makeovers: Go From Basic to Belle-of-The-Ball with These Simple Tricks
A Primer on Modifiers.
Five (Dirty Little) Truths about Proofreading
No one wants your book to be perfect more than your proofreader. Unfortunately, that's easier said than done.
The Dreaded R-Word: The Goods and Evils of Rhetoric
Seems like "rhetoric" is always in the news lately. And it's never good. But why?
5 Easy Ways to Make Your Writing Gender-Neutral
It's actually not that hard to write more inclusively, but it's more important now than ever to TRY.
5 Old School Writing Rules That Need To Retire
The article in which I call out my Alma Mater for being stodgy ol’ hypocrites.
5 Grammar Rules That Make No Effing Sense
Sometimes the rules make no effing sense. Here are few that drive me crazy.
5 Things the Grammar Nazis Get Wrong
The Grammar Nazi's mission in life is to point out all the ways that you, the writer, have managed to butcher the English language. Sometimes those people are right. But sometimes they're wrong.
Stop Laughing at Yourself: A Loud Legacy of Exclamations
Exclamation points are like that relative who drinks too much every Thanksgiving. You can handle Uncle Charlie when he’s at the house, but taking him to a black-tie gala might not be the best idea.
Seven Grammar Tools to Love
In:
conjunctions, ellipses, em dash, Grammar, Grammar, List, Oxford comma, Passive Voice, semi-colon, verb mood
Grammar gets a bad rap, but some grammar rules are actually there to HELP you. Here are seven tools I have learned to love.
Punctuation Pairs: How To Combine Punctuation
In:
Grammar, Punctuation
As if the rules of punctuation weren’t confusing enough, what do you do when you have more than one punctuation mark to contend with?
Typos: Funny or Foul?
Typos are a part of everyday life, but sometimes they can be downright dangerous. Here are three types, from the innocent to the egregious!
The Eternal Duel: A History of Commas
The Oxford comma has been a highly divisive issue within the literary community for many years. But how did it come to be this way, and is one side actually correct?
Ask the Grammarian: How "snuck" sneaked in...
How "snuck" sneaked into the English language and we totally let it.
Ask the Grammarian with Taylor Houston - Now Taking Your Questions
I'm like your personal editor, so ask me a grammar or usage question!
Ask the Grammarian: Missing Semi-colons, Distinguishing Dashes, and Punctuating Quotations
The elusive semi-colon, confusing dashes, and where-oh-where to put the punctuation in quoted material.
