Writing is a fundamental part of communication, yet many people are poor writers. Part of becoming a great writer is practice. You become a better writer with every email, story or blog post you draft. There also are things you can do to improve your writing immediately. Here are 30 tips to improve your writing now from my friend, … [Read more...]
Why You Should ‘Murder Your Babies’
Now that I have your attention, calm down. I'm not actually suggesting you kill anyone, although what I'm about to recommend may hurt you just a bit. I'm talking about your written babies. Your stories or blog posts that you labor over for hours, inserting adjectives, examples and phrases until they're about twice as long as necessary and they … [Read more...]
‘Pens of Doom’ Come in Many Colors
I originally posted this on March 19, 2011, but it seemed especially relevant as I, like many of my professor friends, will spend the day grading finals. Enjoy! Some of my students call it the “red pen of doom.” I’m known to “bleed” my copy edits throughout their stories in an effort to make them better writers, thinkers and … [Read more...]