by Zoe M. McCarthy | Aug 27, 2015 | Writing
“The skill of a skilled writer tricks you into thinking that there is no skill.” —Dwight V. Swain (Techniques of the Selling Writer)I recommend the following books on the craft of writing. Here are quotes from each to inspire you to get a copy or reread...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Aug 20, 2015 | Writing
“Of is a preposition, and although not an inherently evil word, overusing it can make your writing sound passive and fussy.” — Mignon Fogarty (Grammar Girl)In a recent post, I promoted the word processor Find feature to eliminate weak words and phrases. On...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Aug 13, 2015 | Writing
“The process of critiquing other writers’ work thoughtfully and intelligently will help you strengthen your own writing.” — Melissa DonovanCritiquing is valuable to success…unless you find yourself in the wrong critique group.Use the following...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Aug 6, 2015 | Writing
“One of the standard Words of Advice that writers—new and old—get, is to avoid clichés. The advice itself is rather a cliché but, like all clichés, it is based on truth, and it would be wrong to reflexively ignore it.” — Madeleine RobbinsI like today’s...