The just-for-laugh gags catch us by surprise, and we can’t help but laugh because the joke is on the other guy. We know what’s happening, but others can’t believe their…
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As we write, edit, and rewrite our first, second, and third manuscript drafts, we need to focus on the important point of each paragraph, sharpen it, and drive it home.…
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A “pun” uses a word or phrase to suggest a different meaning. Sometimes we might even laugh. Frank Ball calls them “daffynitions.” He has a large collection of such words…
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You don’t want to be caught in the spider’s fly trap. No, wait . . . we didn’t say that quite right. “You don’t want to be caught in the writer’s try…
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Modern animation technology allows us to use old black-and-white photos and create amazing videos that let us feel what it was like to walk the New York streets in the…
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What is the difference between then and now? Is the day before the same as yesterday? Depending on the perspective from which a story is told, we need different words…
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We know to check the newspaper or Internet to find out where and when the fireworks will be. Rarely will a Fourth-of-July celebration find us while we’re shopping or enjoying…
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We naturally write whatever comes to mind. That’s wonderful. We can’t write what isn’t on our minds, can we? But after you’ve written, it’s time to see how the words…
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Alexey Romanov was born without fingers, but his ears had a love for music, and he longed to play the piano. If he can do so much with so little,…
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Paula Hawkins writes a wonderful paragraph in The Girl on the Train. My days feel empty now I don’t have the gallery to go to any longer. I really miss…
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