Several different studies have proven that many of our creative ideas come to us while in the shower, during a commute, and right before sleeping. It’s pretty inconvenient, especially for a busy freelance writer with several project happening ... Read more [...]

Tone is something that most writers struggle with, especially ones who feel like they’ve finally found their specific “voice.” After what could be years of struggling with identity, the idea that a client might want you to change or ruin your true inner voice can be intensely threatening. This could lead writers to panic and adopt an alien or unnatural voice or to even rip up contracts and ruin relationships because they fail to understand this one key fact: Tone and voice are different Read more [...]

Comma placement is sometimes surprisingly difficult. Many writers assume that they know where to place a comma — until an editor deftly removes or adds one. Often, with commas and with many other things in life, less is more, but that’s not always the case. Here are a few common comma conundrums that give many writers pause: 1. Placing a comma outside of quotation marks Incorrect: “Heat of the Moment”, “Karma Chameleon”, and “Don’t Stop Believing” are great songs to rock Read more [...]

Many of us have expertise in something, but sometimes, we have to write about things we know nothing or very little about. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do fast research for short educational articles when you don’t have much knowledge on the topic: Step 1: Make No Assumptions This step has two requirements: being able to recognize when you’re making an assumption, and being able to ignore all prior knowledge. The first is extremely difficult. When writing historical fiction Read more [...]

Punctuation tends to be an afterthought, not the focus, for most writers. That being said, mistakes are common. Be careful of the following seven common punctuation flubs: The poor, abused; semicolon Often, the best policy when using a semicolon... Read more [...]