Posted by Administrator on September 15, 2010 in
Editorial Musings,
The Word Here’s another pair of words that authors frequently confuse. Pore as a verb means to read studiously or attentively. “He pored over his grammar book.” Pour means to flow or cause to flow, or to rain hard. “He poured maple syrup over his grammar book and ate it.” (Definitions from The Merriam-Webster Dictionary.)
Posted by Administrator on September 11, 2009 in
The Word In my editing life, I’ve run across many a character who says “hum” whenever they are thinking about something, as in “Hum … I think I’ll have the chocolate cake.” But most people don’t actually say “hum” in such a situation; what they really say is “hmm,” with the lips together. Hum is a verb [...]
Posted by Administrator on September 11, 2009 in
Writer's Resource The Purdue OWL offers many free resources (over 200, their homepage says), including guides to MLA and APA style, grammar and mechanics information, tips on writing in the workplace, and much more—they even have online practice exercises to help you spruce up your grammar. The information is geared mostly towards writers of nonfiction, but I [...]
Posted by Administrator on July 31, 2009 in
Newsletter,
Writer's Resource Sometimes the richest resources are the ones you create for yourself. I think every writer needs a notebook in which to record and develop ideas for new writing projects. This can be anything from a pocket-size spiral notebook for quick notes to a thick loose-leaf binder. I prefer the loose-leaf option because it allows me [...]
Posted by Administrator on July 29, 2009 in
Newsletter Some writers swear by outlines and enjoy mapping out the details of their writing projects in advance. Others detest outlines, finding that such an orderly plan impedes their creative process. Personally, I fall somewhere in between; I usually have a sort of outline prepared before I write, but the outline exists mostly in my head [...]
Tags: outline, outlining
Posted by Administrator on July 28, 2009 in
Newsletter,
The Word One little letter can make a big difference in meaning. Seam is a noun meaning “the line or junction of two edges, esp. of edges of fabric sewn together” or “a layer of mineral matter.” Seam can also be a verb meaning “to join by or as if by sewing.” Rusty tore the seam in [...]
Posted by Administrator on July 2, 2009 in
Writer's Resource I first stumbled upon this site about a year ago, and my first thought was “Wow!” (Sorry—I couldn’t resist!) WOW! Women on Writing offers tips and advice from the pros, contests, workshops and classes, information on paying markets … The content is useful and always good. This little paragraph has taken me half an hour [...]
Posted by Administrator on July 2, 2009 in
The Word It surprises me how often even experienced writers confuse these words. Bazaar is a noun meaning “a group of small shops: MARKETPLACE” or “a fair for the sale of articles usu. for charity.” He went to the town’s Christmas bazaar to buy a gift for his wife. Bizarre is an adjective meaning “odd, eccentric, fantastic.” [...]
Posted by Administrator on July 2, 2009 in
Newsletter Last month we discussed finding and developing a writing voice. I thought this month we should cover one of the ways in which a writer’s voice can go awry. What happens when writers take their voices a little too seriously? To illustrate precisely to what I am referring, I shall now adopt the voice in [...]
Posted by Administrator on June 6, 2009 in
Writer's Resource This is an inexpensive reference that can help us all sort out tricky spelling and usage issues. Yes, there are larger usage guides and “normal” dictionaries that offer the same service, but Bryson’s Dictionary tends to tell you only what you need to know right now, which is a blessing for those of us with [...]
