Language

Cut Your Words: 5 Articles on Concise Writing

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I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil .~Truman Capote We writers are constantly challenged to find the right words–to be descriptive, but not verbose. To make our language leap from the page, but at the same time, control our word choice. One of the easiest ways to clean up your [...]

Writers Face Off on 13 Hot Topics

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A couple of weeks ago, we noticed there were certain topics writers just can’t agree on. Discussion seems to be a huge part of the writing life, especially because there are so many hot topics to choose from. And, as we move toward the digital age, I believe the number of friendly arguments will continue [...]

Do You Mispronounce These Common Words?

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What’s your pet mispronunciation? I once had a school teacher who said hippo–crissy for hypocrisy, and polly-gammy for polygamy. I thought it was pretty funny. While hippo-crissy and polly-gammy are fairly extreme examples, most of us are less-than-perfect when it comes to speech. We swap letters, we slur, we substitute. I was recently looking through [...]

The 3 Things Writers Will Never Agree On

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Last week, I was thrilled to receive a message from literary agent Nathan Bransford, of Curtis Brown Ltd., letting me know I was one of 3 winners in his recent blogging contest. It was a tremendous honour to have my article, Are You a Word Nerd or a Grammar Rebel? aired on Nathan’s website. The [...]

Are You a Word Nerd or a Grammar Rebel?

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Are you a Word Nerd or a Grammar Rebel? I recently came across this amusing post on Humorous Reminders of Common Writing Mistakes, which made me ask myself this very question. Reading through the list of writing faux pas, I kept vacillating between, “Oh, I would never do that!” and, “Uh oh, I do that [...]

6 Words That Don’t Mean What You Think They Mean

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Whether we like it or not, slang has become a major part of how we communicate. Like dialects that arise out of various languages, English has developed its own nuances over time. Words that may have meant one thing to your parents or grandparents might mean something completely different to you. I don’t think there’s [...]

How to Write with Rhythm that Sings

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Before you read this post, I want you to take a moment to turn on your favourite song. Go on. Full blast. As you listen, try to pick out what instruments are being played. Pay attention to the lyrics, the quality of the singing voice, and the underlying rhythm. What’s your gut reaction to hearing [...]

Common Sense Punctuation (for the Forgetful)

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I understand. It’s terribly easy to forget all those tricky grammar rules you learned back in school. In fact, there are so many of them, even good writers can have difficulty keeping track of where things belong, or when to use this or that. I can’t speak for everyone, but I know the ones that [...]

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