Language

Think Backward to Write Meaningful Metaphors

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Today’s article is written by regular contributor Sarah Baughman.  “Ugh, Mrs. B.!” my student groaned, rolling his eyes. “Why can’t this author just say what he actually means?!” We were reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and my student wasn’t the only one in the class who seemed weary of reading about pythons that were really hoses, symphony conductors that were

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How to Entertain Readers with Your Words

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Today’s post is written by Frederick Fuller. Thanks, Frederick! In Anatole France’s story The Juggler of Notre Dame, Barnabé, the juggler, performs before the altar of the Virgin Mary as his gift to the Holy Mother. He offers to the Holy Mother all he has, from what he is, a juggler. And the astonished Prior

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How Cliched Is Your Writing? Take the Test

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We’ve all heard the expression, “That’s so cliche!” But what does it really mean, and can it mean more than one thing? A cliche can be described as: A trite or overused expression or idea ~The Free Dictionary A hackneyed theme, characterization or situation ~Merriam-Webster Dictionary Something that has become overly familiar or commonplace ~Merriam-Webster Dictionary A person

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Are These Filter Words Weakening Your Fiction?

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After taking several weeks away from the first draft of my novel, I decided to jump back in. I expected to find all sorts of problems with the story: inconsistencies in the plot, lack of transitions, poor characterization—the works. But what began to stick out at me the most was something to which I’d given

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5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary

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Your words are the most important tools you have as a writer. That’s the reason one of your goals this year might be to expand your vocabulary. You want to learn a greater number of words, and also how to use words you hear often, but aren’t sure of their proper contexts. Sounds like a

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Serial Comma Drama: Which Side Are You On?

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All through school, I was taught that when one writes a list, no comma is needed after the second last item. For example: Please get milk, eggs, butter, bread, sugar and salt from the grocery store. As far as I knew, a comma would have been unnecessary after the word sugar. Now, I’m not so

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