What are misplaced modifiers?

You’ve probably heard of misplaced modifiers. But do you know what they are? A lot of writers have trouble understanding them because they’re confusing and difficult to spot. But if you take time to understand them—and avoid them in your writing—you’ll be less likely to confuse your readers. What is a modifier? A modifier is … Read more

Paragraphs in Fiction – What You Need to Know

Have you thought about paragraphs lately? If you’re a blogger or a copywriter, chances are good you think about them regularly. One, two, or three sentences—four is stretching it. And if you believe all blog post “paragraphs” should consist of one sentence only, you don’t have much to think about. If you’re an essayist or … Read more

15 Writing Mistakes That Make You Look Like a Beginner

Freelancers, bloggers, fiction writers, non-fiction writers, novelists, creative writers… No matter what you call yourself, no writer wants to look like a beginner, even if you are. But here’s the thing. Regardless of your expertise or experience level, writing mistakes don’t look good. Readers expect certain rules and conventions in quality writing, and if you’re … Read more

11 Awesome Tips for Writing Better Blog Posts

If you want to write better blog posts—as a hobby, for your own business, as an author, or as a freelance writer—you know keeping up with the ever-changing rules, apps, expectations, and algorithms in the blogosphere can feel almost impossible. But becoming the best blog post writer you can be is entirely within your control. … Read more

Jazz up your sentences with these 5 tips

If you use the same kinds of sentences over and over, your writing will be as monotonous as the steady beat of a bass drum with no other percussion or instruments seen or heard. But if you jazz things up with a snare drum, tom-toms, hi-hats and cymbals and change up the beat for different … Read more

Monday Motivation: Writing Priorities

When it comes to creative ventures (or athletic pursuits!), here are a few things I’ve learned about my writing priorities. Output decreases in direct proportion to (unrelated) input. In other words, when your mind is cluttered with unrelated information coming in from the outside world, it’s hard to access your inner creative world. The latest … Read more