Leah McClellan Every writer knows focus is the name of the game. Some writers need absolute quiet and privacy. Others kick out the jams and let ‘er rip almost anywhere. You might need an entire day to write a few pages, while someone else pumps out 10,000 words in the same amount of time. Either way, you’re … Read more
The first few pages of a manuscript—even a paragraph or two of an article or blog post—make an announcement: This writer is a reader. Or not. It’s easy to see the difference. A non-reader’s opening pages often lack clarity or they’re a backstory info-dump. They might be muddled with too much description or head-hopping (mixed … Read more
Filter words aren’t always a bad thing, but if you’re new to the writing craft or just unfamiliar with them, you’ll want to learn all you can. Lots of filter words makes reading difficult and causes readers to skim as they search for the story’s essence. Worse, they’re a sign of a beginner and a … Read more
You’ve probably heard the advice “write what you know.” It’s been attributed to Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Henry James, Stephen King, and countless others. And a lot of beginning writers assume it means they should write about their lives. Yes, no, maybe? Let’s say you’re a veterinarian or a business owner. If you write a … Read more
What happens when you don’t finish something on time? Do you quit? Or do you keep on going? If you’ve ever felt frustrated with a writing project, you know what I’m talking about. And if you’ve ever done NaNoWriMo—and didn’t get to 50,000 words by November 30th—you might have faced that very question. I didn’t … Read more
Punctuation is a challenge for a lot of writers. Commas can be particularly confusing because they have so many different purposes. Semicolons are tough, too, and many writers just avoid them. The same goes for em dashes and ellipses. Three dots? Four dots? When, why, where? Sure, you can use a grammar and punctuation checker … Read more
Every day, you make hundreds of decisions in less than five seconds. Many aren’t conscious decisions, like fastening your seat belt, opening a door, putting sugar in your coffee, or saying thank you to the barista. Most of the time, you make decisions without thinking, without consciously choosing. And those decisions are based on emotions. … Read more
Writing a novel in a month sounds like madness. But some writers seem to zip through National Novel Writing Month—NaNoWriMo—and pump out 50, 60, even 70,000 words or more like it’s no big deal. Others plod through, get discouraged, pick themselves up, and write like crazy on the final day just to hit 50,000. And … Read more
Ghostwriting, as you probably know, is professional writing done for an individual person or company without getting public credit for it. An autobiography, for example, may claim the subject as the author even if the book was written entirely by someone else—ghostwritten. In some cases, a writer may get partial credit. An “as-told-to” memoir is … Read more
Do you use em dashes? Do you know what an em dash is? If you answered yes to both, you’re in good company. Lots of writers use em dashes—a lot. I definitely do—sometimes more than I should. And since too many em dashes detract from effectiveness—plus look sloppy and unprofessional—if I have more than one … Read more