Dialogue reveals character and moves the action along, but poorly written dialogue can have the opposite effect. This article explains how to avoid common dialogue mistakes and know when to use internal dialogue.
Read Blog »Tag: self-editing
8 Strategies to Eliminate “Be” Verbs
Many writers tend to overuse “be” verbs: is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been. While we need these words, too many can make your writing sound weak. This article provides specific methods to eliminate them. However, don’t focus on getting rid of every one just for the sake of it—though when I taught English, I had students rise to the occasion. Instead, focus your attention on creating stronger sentences and improving your writing, which sometimes means eliminating a “be” verb or two.
Read Blog »3 Common Dialogue Tag Pitfalls
When writing dialogue tags, authors often fall into these common pitfalls. Avoiding these pitfalls will strengthen your dialogue tags, improving the pacing and characterization. So read this blog to discover how you can avoid these pitfalls and write better dialogue tags today.
Read Blog »How to Write Effective Claim Statements
Claims are thesis statements for argumentative essays. They should be debatable, but stated like a fact. This article gives examples of good claims, how to write a claim, and discusses types of claims.
Read Blog »Effective Transitions that Aid Your Reader’s Comprehension
When writing an essay or a nonfiction book, you need to have transitions connecting your topics together. This blog post describes how to do that in easy to follow steps, and then provides examples from essays and nonfiction books. As a student, if you struggle with organization, this lesson can help you. As an author, checking your transitions is something you can do during your self-editing process.
Read Blog »3 Components to Writing an Effective Thesis Statement
All academic essays require a thesis statement. So what is a pesky thesis statement, and how do you write one anyway? Learn the three components to writing an effective thesis statement. The first one will save your teacher’s sanity, and trust me, you want a sane teacher!
Read Blog »How to Write Winning Introductory Paragraphs
An introduction is the first paragraph teachers read. And they are usually so boring. Don’t put your teacher in a grumpy mood right off the bat. Learn how to catch your teacher’s eye with a winning introductory paragraph.
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