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Coherency: Just sayin’…
Is it just my imagination, or is written English slipping in quality, even among writers? Is it that less attention is paid to the end results than to the actual “getting it out there to be read by...
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That Low-Down Word
I run a forum on a British writers’ website for grammatical problems, and answer questions that come up in the course of their writing projects. This week the question came up about that little word,...
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All About Perspective
“So much is exhibited to the eye that nothing is left to the imagination. It sometimes seems almost possible that the modern world might be choked by its own riches, and human faculty dwindle away...
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Paraprosdokians. Parawhat?
Paraprosdokian is not a word I would readily remember. I can even admit freely I’d never heard of it until recently. Maybe I’m just weird, but I can remember a word much better if I know where it...
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Spoonerisms
A Spoonerism is a deliberate (or accidental) play on words in which the corresponding consonants of two words, vowels, or morphemes are switched between two words in a sentence to create two new words....
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Affect vs. Effect
Affect and effect are probably two of the more confusing words in the English language. Or should I say the use of them is the confusing bit. A general rule of thumb is that affect is usually used as...
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Merisms
Merisms are figures of speech in which a single thing is implied by stating several elements of it, usually contrasting concepts or parts, used to refer to an entirety; the elements can be literal or...
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From the 1867 Sailor’s Word-Book: Nautical Verbs, A-J
Nautical Ropes Every profession develops its own jargon, a kind of short-hand between those in the know. The sailing profession is one of the oldest on the planet, and has developed over the...
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From the 1867 Sailor’s Word-Book: Nautical Verbs, K-Z
Every profession develops its own jargon, a kind of short-hand between those in the know. The sailing profession is one of the oldest on the planet, and has developed over the centuries; many of its...
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From the 1867 Sailor’s Word-Book: Nautical Orders
First Rate ship at Anchor, and Frame of Second Rate Ship. Steel engraving. As part of my research for novels, I came across the 1867 “The Sailor’s Word-Book: An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms,...
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A great resource: The King of Random
If you’re a writer like me, you like keeping your eyes and ears open for interesting websites, information, random bits that can inspire and inform your writing. I just came across a great little gem...
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60 Uncommon Things Men Find Attractive About Women
Here’s a list that proves attraction is just weird, and that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder! I find this interesting especially because of the possibilities for finding that quirky element...
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20 Common Grammar Errors
For writers and bloggers, being reminded of the basic grammar rules from time to time is a good thing; they can help to improve our communication and efficiency. If you’re like me, you may be writing...
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Science-Fiction Made Real: The Origami Microscope
Recently I looked at past technologies; today I came across a TED video that is simply mind-boggling: An Origami microscope that is cheap, powerful (magnifications up to 2,000x), waterproof, durable,...
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Writing to Distraction!
If you’re a writer you know exactly what that title means. Working on a project usually requires research; I don’t know what I’d do without internet connection, honestly – I’m too busy to take a day...
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Punctuation Dragons
Those wee things called punctuation are probably the most important things in writing; they are the proverbial insects of the writing world, for without them the entire system would disintegrate. At...
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How To Boost Your Focus
I’m probably the most organised person I know; I’m not OCD about it, I just work better when things are organised. Writing a book means that I accumulate bits and pieces of information, research...
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One-Sentence Stories
One of the most challenging things as a writer is to remain succinct; “every word counts” needs to be printed on the back of my hands whether I’m working on a book manuscript, writing to a friend, or...
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Simply English, not Simple English
The following poem has been floating around for years; it’s so popular because it’s a great encapsulated example of the weirdness of English as a language! It’s also a great exercise in stretching...
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Politeness Cultures
I recently came across a very interesting TED video addressing the differences between the American and British cultures on the specific aspect of politeness. I grew up in the Midwest of America,...
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