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Anyhow, what about irregardless vs. regardless?

Despite what some writers think, the ir on irregardless is uneccessary.

Regardless means nevertheless or nonetheless, as in “Regardless if rain is forecast, we still plan to go camping.”

Irregardless has the same meaning and therefore, in the interest of efficiency, the ir is superfluous.

Play it smart: Don’t use 12 a.m./12 p.m.

Quick, is 12 a.m. noon or midnight? What about 12 p.m., is that midnight or noon?

Don’t know the answer? Don’t feel stupid, most readers won’t either.

And that’s a good reason to not use either term. Doing so is akin to including words from a foreign language that your readers wouldn’t know.

Instead, use noon or midnight.

Incidentally, 12 a.m. is midnight, and 12 p.m. is noon.

Add ‘Big Scenes’ to Give Story Some Oomph

Does your story’s plot feel flat, as if there’s not enough build-up to the final, fateful act? The story probably lacks big scenes.

A big scene occurs when the story’s drama – which occurs because it is central to the theme – is powerful. Because of this, a big scene is more than just flash and bang.

Think of one of the great big scenes of all time: the final battle between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi. It’s larger than any scene that has occurred before in the movie (perhaps larger than any scene in any of the six Star Wars movies, which is prefect as this is the last episode in the series). There’s more at stake than ever: Luke’s life, the lives of his friends such as Princess Leia and Han Solo, the fate of the rebels against the evil Empire. This scene, however, also is thick with thematic elements: son vs. father, the value of self-control vs. rampant emotions, and good vs. evil.

A big scene is more than just the story’s climax, however. Indeed, a big scene should come at regular intervals. Think of the rising action portion of a story’s plot. It’s not a steady, even climb up to the climax but a series of bumps, with a dramatic action that ascends and then falls only to build again. Each bump represents a big scene.

Usually each big scene is bigger than the last. That’s because as nearing the story’s climax, the main character must be increasingly pushed to make a final, do-or-die-like decision. Each of the story’s thematic points are increasingly explored and questioned.

Re-examine your own stories to see if there are big scenes in them. If not, reconsider how you’ve plotted the tales. Is there a more exciting way to tell the story by testing a thematic issue through suspenseful action in increasingly more dramatic ways?

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My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the manuscript needs of writers both new and published. I also offer a variety of self-publishing services. During the past 15 years, I’ve helped more than 400 novelists and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams at reasonable prices. I’m also the author of the Storytelling 101 writing guidebooks, four nonfiction hiking guidebook series, and the literary novel Windmill. Several of my short stories in the literary and science fiction genres also have been published.

Check out some of my guidebooks for plotting your story:

How to Construct a Scene in a Story

All stories are constructed of smaller parts, known as scenes, in which the main character attempts to resolve a primary, central problem. This overarching problem is what set the story in motion, and the main character’s resolution of it essentially marks the tale’s end.

In each scene, the main character must address a different aspect of this central problem on his way to resolving it. This might involve attempting a solution (which must fail unless the scene is the story’s climax), learning specific skills to help him resolve the problem, doing detective work to find out who he must be stopped so the problem can be resolved, and so on.

In a sense, each scene is a mini-story with an opening, rising action (steps the main character takes to overcome the scene’s central problem), a decisive action in which the main character enacts his plan, and ultimately an ending, which shows the main character succeeding, realizing he’s failed, or recognizing that he must move on to the next step in addressing the overarching problem. When constructing a scene, you then should treat it as a mini-story that is part of a larger piece.

As writing a scene, ask yourself these useful questions:
• What problem is our main character attempting to resolve within the scene? This problem should relate to resolving the story’s central problem.
• What obstacles does the main character face as resolving the scene-specific problem? Answering this question will help shape how the scene unfolds.
• What do you want to reveal about your main character and other characters within the scene? This should tie into the development of the main character through the entire story.
• What is the scene’s setting? Is should be interesting yet fit into the overall story’s plot.
• How many characters will be in the scene? Make sure the majority of them are minor characters. If you don’t, some of the major characters will seem flat or you’ll have to focus on developing a lot of characters, which can be difficult for readers to follow not to mention result in a convoluted plot.
• How long should the scene be? It does not need to be exactly the same length as all of the other scenes, but it should not dominate the story or be underwritten either.
• Does the scene make the situation direr for the main character? Scenes should build in intensity and seriousness toward the story’s climax.
• How does it move the story to the next scene? Information the main character learns in the scene or how the solution to the scene-specific problem plays out should point to the need for another problem to be resolved, which will be addressed in the next scene.

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Check out some of my guidebooks for plotting your story:

For convenience sake: How should it appear?

For heaven’s sake, why didn’t somebody teach how to spell and punctuate this expression to some writers? Probably because it’s one of those rules in flux.

Most writers learned that any time a possessive is used, an apostrophe is needed. As the expression shows that sake belongs to convenience, it ought to be spelled/punctuated for convenience’s sake, right?

Not exactly. The use of sake allows for two exceptions to the above rule. First, if the word coming before sake ends in an ss, most speakers would find it difficult to say aloud, and it sure would look darn ugly on the page or screen, so the ’s is dropped. Hence, we write for goodness sake and not for goodness’s sake. Secondly, if the word coming before sake is more than a couple of syllables long and ends in ce, most speakers likewise find it awkward to say and so the ’s is dispensed with. Hence, we write for convenience sake. In all other cases – such as for Pete’s sake or for God’s sake – include the ’s.

Of course, not all speakers (and therefore readers) find adding that ’s particularly difficult to say. So they say it. And then some authors write it. Ultimately, this is one of those grammatical rules in flux, and increasingly dictionaries and grammar guidebooks are allowing for either spelling/punctuation as acceptable, standard English.

As a writer, you can avoid the matter by revising the phrase to for the sake of convenience. Otherwise, stick to the original rule of no ’s or whatever the style guide of your publishing house advises.

Ways to Break Story Structure in Your Novel – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Sept. 30, 2025

Plotting Your Book: Ways to Break Story Structure in Your Novel
Most novels, short stories and screenplays today follow a traditional five-part story structure, involving an introduction-rising action-climax-falling action-denouement. While dominant, this isn’t the only form you have to follow as a writer. Indeed, some of the best stories and novels don’t. READ MORE

How to Write Engaging, Natural Dialogue in Your Story
One of the most important tools in your writing kit is dialogue. It can help develop your characters, move the plot forward, increase tension, and establish a scene’s mood. Unfortunately, sometimes novice writers write dull dialogue. Like a flat tire that slows your vehicle to a near stop, so dull dialogue can quickly bring your story to a near halt. My guidebook Write Engaging, Natural Dialogue is all about helping beginning writers better understand how to pen conversations between characters. If you’ve already written a story and know the dialogue is weak, the tips in this book can help you diagnose and fix the problem. SEE BOOK

Writing Tip: Include Clever In-Jokes by Tuckerizing
One way of rewarding the careful reader is by tuckerizing. This involves naming secondary characters or offstage icons after people or objects many readers would recognize as a sort of in-joke. READ MORE

Self-Publishing Tip: Ebooks Differ Significantly from Paper Books
An ebook is as different from a paper book than a TV show is from a radio production. While both the TV and radio show may tell the same story or provide the same information, how they do so is significantly different. So it is with a paper back and an ebook. READ MORE

This Week’s Podcast: Offer Readers ‘Interview with the Author Page’
Readers love to learn about the authors of their favorite books. You can help foster that love – and in doing so get them to purchase your next book – by including a page on your website in which you are interviewed. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Book Marketing Tip: What Authors can Write for Blog Entries
The biggest question facing any writer is what to blog about. You’ve got a lot of options. READ MORE

Client Spotlight: “Lost Boy” by Michael Combs
A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of editing this romantic comedy/coming of age novel. Michael Combs’ Lost Boy examines the question “What if the love you lost was all the love you will ever know?” This realization drives Mike, a massage therapist who masks his sorrow with humor, women and alcohol. While searching for love, he and his best friend Keith traverse many hilarious relationship faux pas. Then he meets Gabi and must decide if he can open his heart or stay lost in the past. When given a second chance, will he be able to find himself and love again or will he remain lost forever? CHECK IT OUT

$25 Off Your Next Edit!
For being a newsletter subscriber, please take $25 off your next edit with Inventing Reality Editing Service. When scheduling your edit, be sure to mention you’re a subscriber and give the email where you received this newsletter. Minimum order of $200. Offer expires Oct. 7, 2025. SCHEDULE EDIT

My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the manuscript needs of both aspiring and published writers and offers a variety of self-publishing services. During the past 15 years, I’ve helped more than 400 novelists and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams at reasonable prices. I’m also the author of a novel, the Storytelling 101 Quick Read series, four children’s books, more than 25 bestselling hiking guidebooks, and even a book of poetry. Several of my short stories in the literary and science fiction genres also have been published.

Great Writing Quotes by Author Alicia Ostriker

Art destroys silence.

The writer who is a mother should, I think, record everything she can: make notes, keep journals, take photographs, use a tape recorder, and remind herself that there is a subject so incalculably vast significance to humanity, about which virtually nothing is known because writers have not been mothers.

I try not to write the same poem over and over. I try to stretch my own envelope, to write what I am afraid to write.

When I write a poem, I am crawling into the dark.

When I give poetry readings, my hope is to make people in my audience laugh and cry.

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Check out some of my writing guidebooks:

Don’t Overwhelm Reader With Too Many Subplots – Inventing Reality’s Newsletter for Sept. 23, 2025

Plotting Your Book: Don’t Overwhelm Reader With Too Many Subplots
Sometimes writers get too creative for their own good. Such is the case when they think about all the stories their characters – major and minor – could experience. While the writer’s understanding of the world he’s creating is laudable, for the reader all of those storylines can be overwhelming. READ MORE

How to “Show Don’t Tell”
Read any writing tip article or book, and one piece of advice you’re sure to see is “Show don’t tell.” For many new writers – and even established ones – showing rather than telling is downright confusing. Just what does an editor mean when she notes “Show don’t tell” on your manuscript? Mastering Show Don’t Tell looks at how to identify and fix all the places where telling – or exposition – rears up in your writing: backstory; info dumps; backfill; vague descriptions; irrelevant character details; emotional states; motivational tells; narration; summarizing; poorly written dialogue; and more! BUY BOOK

Writing Tip: Use Catch-Phrase when Creating a Character
When writing your story, you’ll want each of the major characters to be distinct. One of achieving that, especially in genre fiction, is to give a couple of the characters catch-phrases. A catch-phrase is a short and memorable word or a phrase that a character repeats at apt times. READ MORE

Self-Publishing Tip: Don’t Commit These Five Book Design Sin
You’ve probably spent years mastering the craft of writing and have authored an excellent book. Hurried, mistake-ridden formatting can nullify all of your good work, though. READ MORE

This Week’s Podcast: Attract attention by adding ‘shout line’ to cover
When designing your book cover, consider adding a shout line. A shout line is a compelling phrase or sentence that aims to intrigue the reader. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Book Marketing Tip: Yes, You Can Create Your Own Media Kit!
All too often, people hoping to make an easy buck try to convince self-published authors that they need expensive marketing services to get the attention of traditional media – newspapers, magazines, television and radio. The truth is that with a little know-how of what to write to whom and with a few hours of your time, you can be far more successful in obtaining the media’s attention than almost every online marketing company. READ MORE

Client Spotlight: “The Sound of the Wind in the Leaves” by Jana Meador
A few years ago, I edited this historical fiction novel, and the power of its writing has stuck with me ever since. Jana Meador’s The Sound of the Wind in the Leaves begins in 1916 when seventeen-year-old Eva leaves her small Bohemian village to work on an English estate, setting in motion the incredible story of one family’s struggle to ensure their brick building business and household survive the Great Depression, Nazi occupation, and a communist takeover. Across three generations, they discover that their will is indomitable, so long as they retain their traditions, remain steadfast in their love for one another, and never let go of their values…but the inner calls to do so – like the sound of the wind in the leaves – are not always easy to hear amid the world’s drumbeats of greed and war. CHECK IT OUT

Great Writing Quotes by Author Blaise Pascal

The last thing one discovers in composing a work is what to put first.

I have only made this letter longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter.

Everything that is written merely to please the author is worthless.

There are some who speak well and write badly. For the place and the audience warm them, and draw from their minds more than they think of without that warmth.

When we see a natural style, we are astonished and charmed; for we expected to see an author, and we find a person.

It’s not those who write the laws that have the greatest impact on society. It’s those who write the songs.

Those who write against vanity want the glory of having written well, and their readers the glory of reading well, and I who write this have the same desire, as perhaps those who read this have also.

Even those who write against fame wish for the fame of having written well, and those who read their works desire the fame of having read them.

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Check out some of my writing guidebooks: