Related Articles

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  Divine Passive Voice

  2207 readersMost writers know the difference between active and passive voice. In active voice, there’s a clearly identified agent performing an action: Your eBook: Click here to download the Basic English Grammar ebook.

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  7 Ways to Stop Feeling Distracted and Start Writing What You Want to Write

  2545 readersA short post about ways to cut out distractions quickly grew into a much bigger series on focus and flow, and some deeper thoughts (for me anyway) about why we let ourselves, individually and collectively, be so distracted. At the same time as writing more I wanted to write less: to try and boil down

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  Words Our Writing Can Do Without, Part 1

  2295 readersWhen a new writer comes to me for advice, I typically recommend they begin their career by stocking their bookshelf with several must-read titles. Some cover the craft of writing, and others, the business. Of course, I always recommend they visit FWJ, too, including, but not limited to, the job listings and Bob Younce’s business

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  Stop Apologising (for the things you’ve never done)

  1616 readersOne of the defining features of confident writing is that it’s not apologetic. Yes, I know it’s good to signal that you’re human, that you’re not perfect, that you have doubts and concerns and things you’re insecure about just like the next person. That’s part of being engaging, warm, human. It’s part of making

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  Intention and Possibility: Part 2 of a 3 Part Series on the Language of Possibility

  1507 readersI introduced the concept of the language of possibility in the first part of the series. In this second part I’m going to focus on those times when you might be using it to evoke a sense of possibility and potential in your readers. The third part will look in more detail at language patterns,

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  11 Smart Tips for Brilliant Writing

  2417 readersDo you sound smarter when you use big words? According to a study published in Applied Cognitive Psychology , the answer is no. In fact, complex writing makes you sound small-minded. Just consider the title of the study: Consequences of erudite vernacular utilized irrespective of necessity: problems with using long words needlessly. Wouldn’t it be better to title

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  Let’s Get to the Action: Verbs

  2275 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

• 5 Ways to Reduce Use of Prepositions

  5546 readersPrepositions, words that indicate relations between nouns, pronouns, and verbs (mostly small ones like for, in, of, on, to, and with but sometimes more substantial, as in the case of beneath or between), are often integral to a sentence, but writers can clutter sentences by being overly dependent on them. Here are five strategies for

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  Write Just One Thing Today, and Write It Well

  1855 readersPhoto courtesy of 顔なし “The happiness of too many days is often destroyed by trying to accomplish too much in one day. We would do well to follow a common rule for our daily lives – Do Less and Do It Better.” - Dale E. Turner There’s a maxim in the Unix programming philosophy that says programmers

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  Showing and Telling for Article Writers

  1916 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