You have finished writing the first draft of your story, a version of your whole story from beginning to end. Now it is time to edit, to revise your words to make your story clear and compelling, so the reader will continue reading after the first sentence. Are you wondering how to edit your story? […]

Writing poetry can feel like a daunting task. Should you use a poetic form? Will it rhyme? How do I begin? There’s a lot to think about. But what if you could build poems from materials that already exist? Let’s answer the question, what is found poetry, and look at some examples of how you […]

In my experience as an editor, point of view problems are among the top mistakes I see new writers make, and they instantly erode credibility and reader trust. Point of view isn’t easy though, since there are so many to choose from: first person, third person limited, third person omniscient, and second person. What do […]

There are a number of words that are often mixed up in writing: effect vs. affect, compliment vs. complement, and others. Here’s a problem I’ve encountered a lot: the confusion of ensure versus insure. But wait, those two words are the same, right? Well . . . not exactly. Let’s look at some definitions and […]

If you spend any time with managers these days, you’ll notice one theme quite quickly: the post-pandemic work world has them feeling overwhelmed. Many managers are unprepared to communicate about complex and sensitive topics, such as business uncertainty and changing customer needs, remote vs. in-office decisions, changes in strategy, restructures and layoffs, people and workplace […]

If you want to transform from aspiring writer to published author, you might be thinking maybe a few creative writing classes would help. But with so many classes out there, which ones should you take? After all, if you’re like me, you have a limited amount of time and money to invest in your writing. […]

It’s National Poetry Month! I know, I know. You don’t want to write a poem, but what if I could show you a way to tap into a childhood memory to create a poem or scene that you could use in any kind of writing? Will you accept a poetry dare today? Write a Poem […]

Why do people write poetry? Some might believe writing poetry is only for lovers and poets, but that’s not true. Writing poetry (like music!) can capture parts of the human experience in ways that prose can’t. Let’s look at why you should try to write a little poetry today, especially if you don’t consider yourself […]

When you think about the literary devices that poets use, you might think of rhyme scheme or metaphors with double meanings. But poets also use line breaks and punctuation in unusual ways too. Let’s look at one such poetic device called enjambment and then we’ll look at some enjambment examples. Enjambment Definition The word enjambment […]

Happy Poetry Month! My students often scowl when I announce we’ll be reading a poem or covering *heaven forbid* an entire unit on poetry. Reading poetry often bothers people—it certainly bothers me in the best possible way. Sometimes poetry feels lofty and pretentious and seems to say, “I know something you don’t know,” which is […]