Writing & Speaking

Writing Torture Do you torture yourself as a writer? If you do, you’re not alone. Working with writers, I hear about all kinds of worries and insecurities they have on a DAILY basis. Hell, sometimes hourly! Obviously the kinds of things writers torture themselves about will depend on the individual. That said, I have noted Read more

The term “prepositional phrase” describes a group of words that contains a preposition (e.g., on or after) and modifies a noun or a verb. In this post, we explain how to use prepositional phrases correctly in your writing. What is a Prepositional Phrase? A prepositional phrase always contains a preposition and its object. For example: Read more

An academic cover letter (i.e., a cover letter for a research or teaching position in higher education) usually differs from a business cover letter in two main ways: They are usually longer than business cover letters (although, ideally, they should still be no more than two pages long). They will be reviewed by academic and Read more

by Jenny Hansen Many authors are afraid to let their friends and loved ones read their writing. They use pseudonyms, join Reddit discussions and fret endlessly about “What if my boss / mother / [insert name] reads this?” Many of us started reading and writing as an escape from our everyday lives. I always joke Read more

If you are citing a play in your writing, you will need to know how to reference it correctly. In this post, we will demonstrate how to cite either a standalone play or a play from a collection using MHRA referencing. Citing a Single Play in MHRA Referencing In MHRA referencing, you cite sources in Read more

by Piper Bayardof Bayard & Holmes The basic function of intelligence personnel (a.k.a. “spooks”) is to collect information on people and organizations. One way of doing that is to plant “bugs.” People often ask why anyone would bother physically bugging a room when there are so many ways to hack into everything from computers and Read more

So You Want To Be A Wordsmith … It’s never been a better time to become a wordsmith. Whether you want to be a blogger, freelance writer, screenwriter, or author, there’s lots of information and tools online for you. If you want to be a wordsmith too, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve compiled tips Read more

“Feet” and “feat” are homophones, which means they sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. This can make them confusing. In this post, we explain how to use these words correctly in your writing. Feet (The Plural of Foot) “Feet” is the irregular plural form of “foot” and has two common Read more

by Eldred “Bob” Bird If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my writing life, it’s that everything has a story. Every object within my sphere came from somewhere. It had a beginning and will eventually have an end. Along the way it may pass through many hands and touch countless lives before being swallowed up Read more

Literary words Did you know a lot of the words we use came from literature? That’s right, writers don’t just use words, sometimes they INVENT them too! I’m a big fan of made-up words (though aren’t all words made up??).  I always look forward to hearing about the additions to the English dictionary. Last year Read more