Welcome to week two of our foray into punctuation marks I wish were easier to use correctly. Last week, we figured colons out, and you can read that blog here. This week we’ve got semicolons to deal with. They’ve got three uses—one that’s somewhat tricky to navigate, and two that … [Read more...] about Semicolons—What in the world do they do?
Colons—How in the world do you use those?
If I could have it my way, three punctuation marks would have permanent how-to guides hovering above them. Colons, semicolon, and dashes. Ever felt that way yourself? Well, over the next three weeks we’ll do the best we can—in the absence of hovering how-to guides—to lay out … [Read more...] about Colons—How in the world do you use those?
3 Awesome Writing Lessons I Learned in 2020
In a box somewhere there’s a stack of pencil-written pages bearing my first story. I was eleven or twelve, I was enchanted with The Chronicles of Narnia, and I wanted to write my own fantasy. Child protagonist—check! Aslan-style mentor—check! Magic trees—check! My own Narnia … [Read more...] about 3 Awesome Writing Lessons I Learned in 2020
What is passive voice?
‘Avoid passive voice.’ That must be one of the most common pieces of grammar advice. And one of the most valuable ever. So, how terrible would it be if you had to ask, ‘But what is passive voice’, and no one had a simple answer? That’s what I’m here to provide today. … [Read more...] about What is passive voice?
‘Further’ vs ‘Farther’ as simply as possible
And I thought writing a blog about further and farther would be easy! Or at least somewhat straightforward. Instead, Merriam-Webster.com is able to spend eleven paragraphs explaining that pair of words and then conclude with this: ‘If you come across a situation which the … [Read more...] about ‘Further’ vs ‘Farther’ as simply as possible
