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Word Choice, Word Order, and Word Placement Can Matter

July 2, 2018 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

English is a forgiving and accommodating language.  And that means that writers have a whole lot of leeway when it comes to deciding how to word phrases and structure sentences. A sentence can consist of a single independent clause (simple sentence), multiple independent clauses (compound sentence), or at least one dependent clause and at least […]

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When a Comma Isn’t Enough

April 8, 2018 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Punctuating interrupted dialogue is a confusing topic for both writers and editors, but there is a definitive answer to the question, “how do you punctuate interrupted dialogue?” Use dashes.

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Talk About Gerunds

March 7, 2018 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Gerunds look like verbs but act like nouns. Explore the variety of uses for gerunds.

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Am I Possessive?

February 10, 2018 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Deciding between attributive and possessive can be tricky, but a few tips should help you decide if an apostrophe is needed.

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Slapped Silly by Exclamation Points

January 12, 2018 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Exclamation points can easily overwhelm both stories and readers. Use them for specific purposes and with restraint.

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Is Perfection Possible?

May 10, 2017 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Writing rules can frustrate writers, but following rules is important. On the other hand, breaking rules can be the answer for a section of text.

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Quotes Within Quotes

April 14, 2017 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Using the correct quotation marks for quotes within quotes isn’t as tricky as you might imagine, but there is some confusion about the rules.

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“And” in Action

March 27, 2017 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

A discussion about the use of “and” to connect two actions of the same subject. “And” doesn’t imply that the actions happen simultaneously.

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Restraining Accents

January 23, 2017 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Rather than try to spell an accent, use other options for letting readers know that a character has an accent.

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Please Learn the Rules

December 19, 2016 by Fiction Editor Beth Hill

Help your readers by learning the rules. Sometimes even big publishers don’t edit as they should—therefore you’ve got to do it yourself. Bad grammar and punctuation can turn away even the most determined reader.

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