This is my first guest post by my terrific Twitter buddy, Taqiyyah Shakirah Dawud. Enjoy her words of wisdom and take them to heart. Be sure and check out her site: Word Whisperer 8 Tired Words & How to Retire Them by Taqiyyah Shakirah Dawud Here’s a list of words we use a lot...
Write a book. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Then you get bogged down with all the words and your main character has gotten to a dead end… suddenly it seems all too hard. How could you ever have thought it was easy? There are lots of things you can do before you write to make...
How do you find an idea to write about? Well, it depends. If you’re writing nonfiction, you may want to choose something you know a lot about. For example, if you’ve been crocheting since you were small, maybe you want to write about how to crochet. Likewise, if you know how to keep your...
This one is a personal pet peeve of mine. I see people use alright all the time. Technically, it is not a word. It is a misspelling of all right. Every time I see it I want to scratch it out and write it correctly. For language geeks like me, it is with great...
Copy editing will improve any manuscript. It improves the writing, it improves the writer’s own understanding of the structure of their book, and it makes it easier to publish the book. I know it is difficult to hand your masterpiece off to someone else and let them have their way with it. Before you...
I have been asked why I wanted to be an editor occasionally over the years. The truth is… I can’t help it. I unconsciously edit everything I read. My family will tell you my outrage when I find an error in a book we’ve purchased. I point out errors in signs, handouts and menus....
Have you ever had your curiosity piqued? Have you climbed a peak? Have you taken a peek at something new? Yes, these three words sound alike, but they are totally different. Pique Pique is a French word that means “prick” or “stimulate.” Your curiosity can be piqued, but not peaked. So can your interest....
Do you know anyone who mixes these words up when they write? They usually know what they want to say, but when it comes to writing it down, many people find it easy to mix up are, our and hour. Are & Our Lots of people pronounce our like are when they talk, so...
This is a pair of words that I normally think are pretty self-explanatory… yet I continually see them misused. Allowed or Aloud? What do you think? Allowed Allowed means you have permission to do something. The children are allowed to play with the dog. Aloud Aloud means something can be heard. She spoke aloud...
Ah, the beauty of the English language. Here we are with three different words that sound exactly the same. People mix them up all the time. Well, most of them. To, too and two all sound alike, yet mean completely different things. Technically, they are homophones. They sound alike, it’s true. They are not...
