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  Sobering Moment: When I Yell at the Dog, I’m Actually Yelling at Myself

  2251 readers It's true. When I give my pooch, Graham, a hard time for his extreme laziness and Jell-O Jiggler body composition, I'm actually yelling at myself. I discovered it the other month. Don't believe me? Well, let's look at some things I've said to Graham. 1. "Graham, you're the flabbiest." 2. "Do something with your life, Graham." 3. "STOP EATING SO MUCH,

• 7 Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block

  3223 readersA would-be teacher was assigned to tutor a boy who was not just reluctant, not just resistant, but actually hostile to reading. The first day, the tutor took the boy aside and asked him to read the first sentence of a book. Original Post: 7 Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block Your eBook: Click here to download

• Welcome to the Booby Hatch

  3274 readersI'm a Picture Book Illustrator but this past Spring a story began to form in my brain (sounds painful right and it was:) I began by sketching it out in storyboard fashion. I thought I had a vision of how the story would go, how many pages it might take to tell it, the type

• Word Count and Book Length

  3952 readersA novelist of my acquaintance insists that the only way to estimate the number of words in a book is to multiply the number of pages by 250. Original Post: Word Count and Book Length Your eBook: Click here to download the Basic English Grammar ebook.

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  How to Avoid Archaic Words and Phrases in Your Writing

  2873 readersI will probably get some heat over validating the use of “as per” in business correspondence, but it truly doesn’t bother me. There are, however, some words that make writing sound dated (and I don’t mean “so last week.”) Using these words in your writing can make it sound “turn of the century before last.”

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  Paperback Throwback: An Ode to Our First Loves in the World of Words | 02.12.11

  4584 readersEveryone has that one book, or one poem, that began their love affair with words.  Mine (and countless others’) was On the Road.  I was introduced to Kerouac the summer after my freshman year of high school, while on vacation with my parents in Maine.  We had stopped in a little bookstore to browse, and

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  A Day in the Life of Suspense Thriller Author Joshua Graham

  978 readersA Day in the Life is Literarily Speaking’s newest feature. Here we get a glimpse into our favorite author’s day-to-day life! Today’s guest is Joshua Graham, author of the suspense thriller, Beyond Justice. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• A Day in the Life of Joshua Graham by Joshua Graham After the kids have gone to school, the writing day begins with

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  Some Different Self-Editing Rules For Writers

  2157 readersWhatever type of writer you are, there are steadfast self-editing rules. Myself, being an fiction writer (mostly—at least that’s how I fancy myself), I know the basic checklist of rules: use your thesaurus and dictionary, read your work aloud, use the active voice, watch your sentence rhythm, use the spell/grammar check, and on and

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  The Art of Seductive Writing: A Conversation with Robert Greene

  10498 readers Robert Greene is the bestselling writer of some of the most legendary nonfiction books of his generation. The 48 Laws of Power, The 33 Strategies of War, The 50th Law (with rapper 50 Cent), and … The Art of Seduction. Though much of his work can be applied directly to good writing, business, and marketing online, it’s the

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  A Case for Cut-Ups | 03.09.11

  5721 readersWhen I went through my Beatnik phase in high school, I delved into the writing of Kerouac, Ginsberg, Ferlinghetti.  Corso, Burroughs, and others came later.  My feelings about Burroughs were always mixed—I appreciated the innovative, visceral quality of his writing, the kind of chaotic adrenaline rush he forced upon you with his words.  But I