Such a small mark can be especially troublesome, because mishandling the hyphen can confuse readers. We never want that. When multiple words independently modify a noun, do not use a…
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In August, we’re looking for relief from the hellish heat that seems always to center itself over Texas. Watch the movie Frozen. Pray for snow. Maybe that will help. Remember…
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We need tag verbs that vocalize the dialogue, not describe it. We might occasionally use “whispered” or “shouted,” but most of the time we need “said.” Cheryl St. John says,…
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To create a dark feeling of depression, we must write something better than “she was depressed,” or the cliché: “it was a dark and stormy night.” Readers need to be…
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“Be sure the introductory phrase can be accomplished at the same time as the action in the rest of the sentence,” Kathy Ide says in Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors.…
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Sometimes, lunch at the school cafeteria can be a complete surprise. Where would spaghetti be without the sauce? Saclà Italia, a favorite sauce in Europe and beyond, served an amazing…
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What sits between the beginning and end is the all-important middle. Let’s work to make the thoughts and actions flow more smoothly from start to finish. Some great words from…
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The Bottle Boys, known as Flaskedrengene in their native Denmark, use instruments right out of the recycle bin. Wherever they are playing, they will blow you away.
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Character is a critical key to becoming a person of quality, and it starts in the home!
