by Zoe M. McCarthy | May 19, 2016 | Writing
“‘As long as readers know what I mean, does it really matter whether there’s a typo here and there, a comma in the wrong place, or a few words misspelled?’ Yeah. It does.”—Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors, by Kathy Ide, published by Lighthouse Publishing...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | May 12, 2016 | Writing
“Although writing badly is like dressing in lime skorts and an orange plaid sweater—people notice—publicly correcting a stranger’s writing is as rude as asking someone with a fashion problem “Did you think that looked good when you got dressed this...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | May 5, 2016 | Writing
“Like everything metaphysical the harmony between thought and reality is to be found in the grammar of the language.” —Ludwig WittgensteinOften grammar books and publishers differ in on how to handle grammar rules. Sometimes it’s hard to find the answer. (I’ve thumbed...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Apr 28, 2016 | Writing
“[An] error of inexperienced writers—or journalists in a hurry—is to confine characterization to the obvious physical attributes.” —Sol SteinLet’s build a character. I based the 5 easy techniques on Sol Stein’s suggestions in Stein on Writing. Let’s say we want to...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Apr 21, 2016 | Writing
“Telling me to ‘Be clear’ is like telling me to ‘Hit the ball squarely.’ I know that. What I don’t know is how to do it.” —Joseph M. WilliamsFirst, lets look at an unclear, wordy passage.Grayson said he’d made a decision not to return to their relationship due...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Apr 14, 2016 | Writing
“Many early-career authors treat setting as merely an element of the background – an incidental necessity, maybe, but a tertiary craft concern when compared to plot or character development or dialogue.”—Jacob M. Appel “Know Your Place” Writer’s Digest...
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