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Category Archives: Style and voice
Writing and the Stock Market
All ideas have been done before. It’s basically impossible not to reuse one. If it hasn’t been done before, the idea will make almost no sense to anyone. That defeats the purpose of using it. Conformists want ideas that are … Continue reading
The Language of Empires
Have you ever wondered why we have two words–who and whom–both meaning the same thing. What is the difference? These two words are different cases of the same [pronoun, which are forms which provide clarity. Even people who don’t know … Continue reading
Posted in Literature, Style and voice
Tagged case, english, Germanic, grammar, Greek, languages, Latin, usage, who, whom
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Reading the lines… or the space between them?
Reading between the lines doesn’t refer to reading blank space. But, sometimes it is almost as difficult. It requires astute attention to pull out what is not explicitly stated in the text. How much should an author expect a reader … Continue reading
My POV Journey
Initially, when I was eight years old, I started writing in the third person point of view and all my characters were animals. Did I mention that Black Beauty was one of my favorite books? A few years later, I … Continue reading
Posted in Literary devices, Literature, Novels, Style and voice
Tagged Black Beauty, Fiction, Frankenstein, Nectar in the Sieve, point of view, POV, Writing, writing-tips
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Climbing over the Block
What is writer’s block? For me it is not a dearth of ideas, but a multitude of mediocre ones. If I push through this initial uninspired feeling and write, eventually a creative thought or two should appear. Sometimes I stretch … Continue reading
From Music to Words
My first experience with music as an inspiration for writing occurred in the summer between high school and college. I lay in bed at night listening to the radio and trying to go to sleep when a pop song with … Continue reading
Writing with a Divided Mind
In the 1930’s, an Oberlin College English major named Roger W. Sperry worked at a campus cafe and provided transportation for a physically disabled psychology professor. Sitting in on luncheons and meetings among eminent psychologists introduced him to a new … Continue reading
Posted in Creativity, Psychology, Style and voice, Teaching writing skills
Tagged Creativity, intonation, language, Left brain, poetry, right brain, speech
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Who Are the Grammar Police?
As I perused research about grammar police, I found one study with a conclusion that I had already deduced myself. No matter how much of a thought provoking story or essay that I create, the people who notice every misspelling … Continue reading
Posted in Style and voice, Teaching writing skills, Writer's resource, Writing trends
Tagged extroversion, grammar, introversion, spelling, usage, Writing
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The Life Cycle of a Cliché
What is the difference between a trite phrase and cliché one? The similarity we know. Both are overused. Either term is applicable to many common expressions. Trite phrases are often descriptive: busy as a bee, red as a rose, bright … Continue reading
Posted in languages, Style and voice, Translations, Writing trends
Tagged cliche, idiom, original language, slang life cycle, trite
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Writing Like You Speak
When reading an author’s discussion thread, I noted that more than one person assumed the trick to creating a unique writer’s voice was “writing like you talk.” There is some truth to this if you are a good verbal storyteller. … Continue reading
Posted in Ideas for writing, Style and voice, Teaching writing skills, Trends in books
Tagged colloquial, newscaster, venacular
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