K.I.S.S. your readers
Big words suck.Β Gargantuan expressions fail to fulfill your readership’s expectations.Β See how small words win the day? Have you ever felt the need to […]
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A sneak peak at the leaked CIA Style Guide
This is not satire; this guide really exists and the quotes in this post really come from the CIA’s Style Manual and Writer’s Guide. People […]
54 ominous signs that you might be a writer
Writers are “special” people. But don’t worry, it is not always contagious. This guide will help you self-screen for this condition before it becomes terminal. […]
Maile Meloy Addresses the Santa Barbara Writers Conference
Kristin Johnson reports live from the Santa Barbara Writers Conference on speaker Maile Meloy’s keynote address. Your humble correspondent had a full first day at […]
When can you call yourself a writer? How do you define a writer?
Are you a writer or are you an “aspiring” writer?Β How do you define yourself? How do you define a writer? If you are looking […]
Is your writing plagiarism or research?
Everybody knows it’s wrong to plagiarize.Β And yet, it still happens.Β A lot of plagiarism in purposeful, but some is due to uncertainty, and perhaps […]
Black Eye Monday: Batman and Superman “Reuse to Vacate” Captain America
Proofread.Β Proofread. Proofread.Β Kristin Johnson doesn’t want to know what “Reuse to Vacate” might mean. The above headline might sound like a sentence from a […]
How to Write Good – the definitive guide
If you were always wondering how to break the rules of grammar, spelling and common sense, hereβs your chance. These are the top 34 rules […]
Use pictures to bust through writer’s block
When words don’t flow, the pen need not rest. Give drawing a go, let pics do the rest. One of the most frequent writing-related discussion […]
How much should you plan your plot?
Fiction writers need to plan their plots. They need to be organized. But should they also allow their characters and the plot to develop on […]