Limit your use of the progressive tense
I’m not a fan of adding -ing to verbs, as I’ve said in “The ‘Be” test for writers.” However, I couldn’t tell you why it was wrong until I read Cut It Out: 10 Simple Steps for Tight Writing and Better Sentences by Laura Swart. Using the progressive tense Here’s how Swart explains the use […]
MISTAKE MONDAY for May 13: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?
Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment. What happened to proofreading at The Wall Street Journal? I post these challenges to raise […]
Pick your e-newsletter sender name carefully
Recently, I sent the newsletter of a person whom I like to my email’s spam folder. My gut reaction proves that you should clearly identify the sender of your email newsletter. Unrecognizable sender name spells trouble When I looked at the newsletter, I thought, “I don’t know this person. Why is he sending this to […]
MISTAKE MONDAY for May 6: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?
Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment. The mistake that caught my eye is subtle. I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading.
Professional writers vs. amateur writers
What distinguishes professional writers from amateur writers? Why should you care? There are many characteristics that differentiate professional writers. In The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer’s Block, and the Creative Brain, Alice Flaherty identifies an important one. She says that pros …more successfully engage their audience. It is partly a question of skill, […]