Related Articles

• Tangled Passages

  1812 readersA pileup of dashes and commas in a sentence should be a warning sign. Sometimes the punctuation itself is the source of the problem, leading to snarled syntax. In other cases, the commas and dashes are a symptom. As a sentence gets more and more convoluted, the writer desperately clutches at punctuation to hold it

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  Comma: the MacGyver of Punctuation – ComMacGyver

  4769 readersThe comma is not truly the only punctuation tool you will ever need, but it sure does do a lot.The Purdue Online Writing Guide lists the following uses in its Quick Guide to Commas:1. Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by any of these seven coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, or,

• 7 Rules For Formatting Lists

  1682 readersConventions for formatting lists are simple and straightforward, but many writers (and their editors) seem not to have gotten the memo. Here’s an outline about how to outline: Original Post: 7 Rules For Formatting Lists Your eBook: Click here to download the Basic English Grammar ebook.

• Use Common Sense for Commas

  1241 readersCommas are such cute little things with curly tails that their strength is often overlooked. Original Post: Use Common Sense for Commas Your eBook: Click here to download the Basic English Grammar ebook.

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  5 Ways to Improve Your Writing

  1583 readersGuest Post by Heather HollemanIf I'm going to live with flair, I have to think about communicating with flair. Most of us will have thousands of occasions for writing in the next year: emails, text messages, resumes, blog entries, cover letters, articl...

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  Showing and Telling for Article Writers

  2340 readersWarning: I’m getting into realms that can send fiction writers to insane asylums – showing v. telling. Do you need to show rather than tell in non-fiction, as well? The answer, as with so many things in writing, is a definitive, “Sometimes.” (And that’s the case in fiction, as well!) The examples I provide in my

• Whither The Semicolon? Whither The Comma?

  2367 readersI just sent a colleague back his “Away” e-mail—you know, the ones you post when you’ll be out of your office for a while. It had a comma where a semicolon should have been in the last sentence. Original Post: Whither The Semicolon? Whither The Comma? Your eBook: Click here to download the Basic English

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  Let’s Get to the Action: Verbs

  2575 readersThis post is the second in my series on “parts of speech.” Workshop teachers often instruct aspiring fiction writers to begin their stories: “in media reas” (in the middle of the action). Without verbs, a story would have no action. How dull would that be? Verbs – Verbs are action words. Nouns can “do” verbs. Dogs bark. Writers have

• A Quiz About Missing Connections

  2634 readersWriting is often compromised by a writer’s failure to think a sentence through to its logical conclusion. Often, along the way, a small but crucial word or phrase is omitted that leaves a gap in a parallel construction, thereby contributing to the reader’s confusion. In each sentence below, determine the missing element, then check my

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  Writing Action Scenes

  2070 readersby Todd Rutherford No matter what type of novel you are writing, action scenes are the key ingredient to keep your reader's pulse pounding and to keep them turning the pages. However, there is an art to an action sequence and a balance must be found. ...