Develop the Habit of Meeting a Word Count
Have you ever seen the movie where the writer bangs his head against the wall while a white, empty computer screen flashes in the background? We can run into the same frustration if we...
Continue Reading Finding Your Writing Voice
What is a writing voice? It's how you write your words. Hemingway sounds different than Grisham. Voskamp sounds different than TerKeurst. You sound different than the writer sitting next to you. The problem is that we often try to...
Continue Reading Creating Your Writing Workspace
Last night I watched an episode of a makeover show. In it, a single mom worked from home preparing natural recipes in her kitchen. She sat on an uncomfortable stool, her knees pressed into the cabinet. Her laptop...
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You Have a Story to Tell
I really want to write a book about my life. I can't tell you how many people I've heard say that sentence over the years. In fact, I read a statistic once that said 90% of people think they...
Continue Reading The Art of Exaggeration
A hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration used to make a point. You might think that hyperbole has no place in nonfiction but if used well it places a bit of fun in your writing. Let's look at this example...
Continue Reading Storytelling in Nonfiction
When we think of dialogue or setting a scene, we often delegate that to fiction. However, storytelling is just as powerful in nonfiction.
Consider this story.
“Can you name the one person you are angry with?” The teenaged girl twirled a...Continue Reading
Creating a Blog Post Title That Captures Your Reader
You labored over your blog posts, but did you take the same care with the titles of those blog posts?
In today’s tip, you’ll find tips to help you create blog titles to capture...Continue Reading
When You Aren’t Crazy About Critique
My daughter was born jaundiced and with a birth defect. The combination of her tiny black mask to protect her eyes and casts on her legs caused people to take a second look at the nursery. I was standing...
Continue Reading Don’t Be Confounded by the Comma
It’s just a little comma, but it can be confusing! The placement of a comma can completely change the meaning of a sentence.