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...

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,...

You may have read a writing tutorial that said you should always put the “he said” tag at the end of the dialogue. That’s fine for a few words, but...

At no previous time has it ever been easier and more affordable to write and publish a book, making your message available to the world. But since everybody is doing...

At a Donald Maass Intensive seminar in San Antonio, a writer on the front row was enjoying the view of the Riverwalk through the floor-to ceiling window. On the far...

Crucial or Critical — While the two might be used interchangeably, critical works best for extreme danger and crucial for something very important. It may be crucial to pay bills...

We should not overlook the important means that Jesus often used to communicate truth: storytelling. If you tell a man he should be forgiving, you might hear him say, “Yeah,...

Whenever you run across “made his way,” “found himself,” “proceeded to,” “shot a look,” “caught a glimpse,” or “managed to,” you can probably find a better verb or verb phrase....

The qualifiers like absolutely, all, always, completely, fully, quite, really, totally, truly, and very may seem important to the writer, but for the reader, they’re empty, void of much meaning...

If an action is completed, “began” and “started” are obvious, adding no meaning, and should be avoided. He began to mumble the words with a mixture of sadness and stoic...