Going Crazy with How to Grab Your Reader’s Attention?
You are a writer. You’re working to Sell your articles or book manuscript Build a blog following (if you’re a blogger), and Build your platform. That means you spend a portion of your time
Writing Tips
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How to Use the Ellipsis and the Em Dash
Punctuation is an aspect of English with which many writers struggle. But we must face the reality: incorrect punctuation raises a red flag for editors and makes them more inclined to toss your submission into the trash. I’m not talking about a missing comma here and there, but flagrant incorrect punctuation. As much as some might…
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Telling vs. Showing, what it is and how to fix it.
Writers often hear “show us, don’t tell us” in one variation or another. But what does it really mean to show rather than tell? Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary gives the definition of tell as “to relate in detail: narrate, recount,” and show as “to cause or permit to be seen.” As writers, we do both these things. But as storytellers…
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5 Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills
(Updated May 2026) As writers, we must continually seek to improve our skills. It is an ongoing process that can be accomplished in a number of ways to fit anyone’s budget. Here are several options: Participate in a critique group—it’s much easier to see someone else’s weak spots than your own. I’ve learned so much by critiquing…
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Database of Writer’s Guidelines
Formatting your submissions according to a publication’s writer’s guidelines is essential. Finding those guidelines isn’t always easy, and even in this day of digital everything you often have to request guidelines via email. For easy reference, FreelanceWriting.com provides a database of 836 writer’s guidelines, by category. http://www.freelancewriting.com/guidelines/pages/
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Point of View Defined, Part 2
Point of view. Think about those words and it will help you. From whose perspective are you viewing your scene? Whose feelings and thoughts are being expressed in the scene? Example from my present WIP: Chase stared at Karl with what he hoped was a questioning, please-continue look in his blue eyes, but Karl just…
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15 Keyboard Shortcuts to Make Your Writing Faster
I want to accomplish as much as I can when I’m writing, so I utilize keyboard shortcuts. Many of these MS Word shortcuts translate over to other word processing programs such as Scrivener (the one I use). Here is a list of MS Word keyboard shortcuts to help you save time as you write your…