Write well. Write often. Edit wisely.
Three very specific questions about punctuation and grammar—are band names singular or plural, is a band’s name a possessive noun or an attributive noun, how do you treat two verbs in the predicate when one’s a linking verb?
Continue reading Getting Specific—Addressing Readers’ Examples (Part 1) »
A list of resources for grammar and punctuation as well as style and usage. Introduction to a series on very specific questions regarding usage.
Confused about how to capitalize holidays and religious holy days? Don’t know if holiday greetings should be capitalized in a story? Read on for tips for capitalizing holiday terms.
Continue reading Capitalizing on the Holidays—A Reader’s Question »
A reader’s question got me thinking about the details of a story’s setting, about choosing details that fit the actual location as well as the story. I also wanted to share a reminder to check details for real locations—make sure your details are correct.
The last couple of articles I’ve written have focused on grammar and punctuation. On rules. And while learning rules is important, sometimes we need to focus on other writing concerns. Sometimes we need to immerse ourselves in the power of our passions. Just recently I was dramatically reminded of this need once again. PBS stations in the […]
Is either singular or plural? What about neither? Does it get a singular verb or a plural one? Learn when the words either and neither are singular and when they’re plural.
Continue reading Either, Neither, and Subject-Verb Agreement »
There are multiple ways to make changes to your story text. Make sure that you’re not using the same kinds of changes again and again.
Interrupters, digressions, asides, and comments can be set apart by commas, parentheses, and dashes. Explore the options for punctuating interrupters.
Many introductory sentence elements are followed by a comma. Yet not all are. A discussion of comma use with elements at the beginning of a sentence.
Tips for spelling compound words—open, closed, and hyphenated compounds. The Chicago Manual of Style has a great section on spelling compound words.
Continue reading Compound Words—Using This Cheat Sheet is Not Cheating »
The reader will focus on what stands out. Turn the reader's attention where you want it to go.
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Write well. Write often. Edit wisely.
