What Your Critics Mean When They Say…
Being a part of an online community for young writers is amazing. It’s such an enlightening experience to watch young people begin to work their way through their art, and begin to learn how...
Category: Writing Tips
Writing Misconceptions – Character Names
1. Common names are boring. A lot of writers refrain from using any common sounding names as they want to make the story seem more exciting. Baring in mind the setting of your story,...
Advice Unpacked: Show, Don’t Tell
If there’s one piece of writing advice that’s so often repeated that it’s on the verge of becoming meaningless, ‘show, don’t tell’ would very likely be it. I’m prepared to admit that it’s a...
Writing Misconceptions – Dialogue
Said is a word to avoid in dialogue. A common mistake people seem to make when writing dialogue, is never using the word said and instead replacing it with obscure words such as ‘whimpered,...
How to Read a Story
The main thing I have learned since I’ve started my graduate school program in fiction writing is there is a heck of a lot of stuff I should have learned before I started my...
Difference between i.e. and e.g.
Confusing i.e. and e.g. is one of the most common grammar mistakes, and it’s one that trips up even the most seasoned of editors! Many people believe the two are interchangeable, but while that...
Effect vs. Affect: What’s the difference?
There are lots of commonly misused words, and no doubt they number in the hundreds or even thousands. However, the most commonly misused words I tend to see are “effect” and “affect.” Many times,...
The 5 Best Sites For Young Writers
The Young Writers Society Okay, so this blog is managed by members of the Young Writers Society, but let me make my case here! YWS offers a chatroom, forums, a social section, and of...
The 15 Minute Plan to writing a novel or accomplishing anything
Out of any given day, you have only 16 usable hours. Subtract at least an hour for eating (more if you’re cooking as well), another hour for bathroom necessities such as showering and brushing...
Lets vs Let’s
Lets vs. let’s is one of those grammar rules that seems to trip quite a few people up! So when do you use one over the other? Let’s find out! Let’s is the contracted...
