Do You Need an Editor? Writing a book is easy. Writing a good book is much more difficult. And no matter how good a story you tell, in order for it to be made into a good book, it needs to be edited, and not self-edited. I have seen a few people who were able…
Dilemma or Catch-22 What is a dilemma? Dilemma is one of the rare words that is so specific that it denotes the precise meaning — at least the original definition does. Let’s take a look. Many of the dictionaries did a good job of defining the true meaning of this, and most without waffling. Vocabulary.com…
Writing Clearly I wrote before about writing plainly or writing clearly, but it was not much more than a brief intro. It’s time we looked a little harder at the issue. Two-dollar words do nothing to clarify communication, but their use is a major factor in muddying the waters (making things less clear). But this…
How to Write Plainly Not too long ago, writing was the primary means of communicating so writing plainly was more than just important, it was imperitave. People sent letters to family, friends, lovers, and others. Writing was also used to conduct business, from initial introductions to finalizing a deal. How to write plainly was taught…
How to Write Good Dialogue All writers know that writing good dialogue is one of the factors to a good book, but how to write good dialogue is interpreted differently by different people. Dialogue is also written differently depending on the writer. Some writers use stilted, formal language, and some use a lot of slang…
Writing a Good Novel Writing is an individual endeavor. I don’t mean it can’t be done jointly, but it is usually done alone; therefore, the ways people choose to write tend to be individualistic as well. One person may insist on writing every day in complete solitude. Another may only sit at the keyboard on…
Meaning of Cognizant and Meaning of Prophylactic In my continuing quest to make note of words that have jumped to the forefront during this pandemic, I’ve identified two more offenders—cognizant and prophylactic. Don’t get me wrong; the words aren’t at fault, they’re fine words. I blame the people using them. The reporters, doctors, and analysts…
Is “Safe Haven” Redundant? A lot has been written regarding “safe haven.” Some of it even by me in my grammar books. What draws the ire is the phrase’s built-in redundancy. But is safe haven redundant, and does it matter? Let’s look further. Is “Safe Haven” Redundant? The problem with words is that they’re subject…
Plethora—It’s Not What You May Think If you listen to people speak, you’re bound to hear the word plethora used sooner or later. And when you do, it will probably be used erroneously. Last year, I decided to do an informal self-conducted poll, and, in a thirty-day span, I heard the word used eleven times….
How to Use Incredible Credible and Incredible are closely related words, and each of them used to mean something specific. The meaning of each was easy to decipher because of the root word: crediblis and because of their close association. Credible believable, worthy of belief, capable of being believed Incredible Incredible means (at least for…