Writing tips from the pros
From Rick: Back in May of 2019, I did a post called “Tips from the experts” wherein I pulled out what I considered the best advice and provided a link to the full article I quoted from. Here’s the link
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Compound word nightmares: open, closed, or hyphenated?
From Rick: I don’t know about you, but as a writer and an editor, I’m constantly beset with problems when dealing with compound words: should it be one word, two words, or a hyphenated word? We all know that “bedroom”
Read moreStory structure models–PART 3
From Rick: Last year I did two posts on story structures and had thought them to be relatively complete. However, I was recently contacted regarding the first of those two posts. The person who contacted me praised the post and
Read moreGrammar and style tips for authors: Part 1—recent changes
From Rick: Being an editor, it’s important that I keep up to date on the latest grammar and style changes in the language, particularly since it seems to be changing very rapidly. There are two authoritative references that all writers
Read moreWriting software revisited—Part 2
From Rick: Part 1 of this topic got a bit long, and after completing it, I felt I had more to say. In addition, I was recently pointed to a review of several pieces of editing software, a couple of
Read moreStory structure models–PART 2
From Rick: In Part 1, I gave you some reference articles to read regarding various story structures. Before I get started, I want to make a couple of comments: (1) I do not use any of these methods directly when
Read moreStory structure models–PART 1
From Rick: As promised last time, I’m going to be discussing story structure, and I will be doing it in two parts. If you didn’t read last week’s post, you probably should do so first. In this part, I’m simply
Read moreStyle sheets revisited: how to avoid editing nightmares
From Rick: I apologize for not posting a blog last week (and for being late this week). Things got a little crazy time-wise, and they will continue to be so for the next couple of months at least. I have
Read moreSetting intelligent MS word defaults for writers
From Rick: MS Word comes set with some really stupid defaults, at least for writers. While thy may seem good for the average person and for business, many of these defaults are counterproductive for writers, especially if you’re planning on
Read moreTips for self-editing your book
From Rick: You’ve probably heard it from many sources that writers should not edit their own books. Some of that advice comes from self-interested editors who want you to believe that in order to sell your their services. Some of
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