When people hear that I specialize in teaching writing, they often say “I really want to improve my writing. I’m not a good writer.” Or, “My English is good, but my writing is…maybe…not so good.” I get it. Writing is hard. I actually...
One of the biggest mistakes I see writers make is that they worry too much about grammatical accuracy and spelling when they’re drafting a report or email. Quit trying to do so many things at once! That’s why I love teaching...
A topic that comes up again and again when I work with writing students is the importance of thinking before writing. When I was a kid, my mom often reminded me to “think before you speak.” This was mostly so I wouldn’t regret what I...
Do you ever read articles that seem to flow smoothly from sentence to sentence? Do you then wonder why your own writing feels choppy — like you’re jumping from one idea to the next? How can you write so your ideas move more smoothly?...
I know Halloween is a favorite holiday for many of you who like getting creative with costumes (and for those of us who just like the candy). Personally, I love seeing all the cute little kids, especially in adorable animal costumes like my fluffy niece in the pic...
In a previous post, I explained how we use hyphens like harnesses to connect words that are working together to modify a noun. Now to tackle the difference between the much more easily confused en dashes (–) and em dashes (—). Remember, en dashes are the width of a...
