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Ever get a feeling when hearing these two words that you don’t quite know what one means? “Literal” means you’re saying exactly what happened. “Figurative” means you’re speaking metaphorically. So, during a headache, one’s head “figuratively explodes” not “literally explodes.” ______________________ My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which…

You’ve finished your novel or short story but are beginning to think that maybe someone else should look it over before you send it off. You do an Internet search and find Web sites for manuscript editors – also known as book doctors – who will proofread and critique your manuscript for a fee. So is…

Each idea you have for a story is like a tiny seed. Not all seeds grow into beautiful plants, and likewise not all story ideas will yield an impressive tale. Still, most seeds are capable of growing, so long as they are properly nurtured. You plant the seed for your story the moment you commit it…

Though the table of contents is one of the first pages readers will see, it’s one of the last you’ll actually complete. Because it must perfectly match the names of your various sections and chapters, as well as have the correct page numbers (if doing a print book anyway), it is always in flux as you…

One punctuation matter that might keep you up at night is where to place a comma when appearing with quotation marks. Well, you can quote me on this: Commas appear inside quotation marks, according to the book “Use the Right Word,” and other sources. The British, however, place the comma outside of the quotation mark. But…

“I was reading the dictionary. I thought it was a poem about everything.” – Steven Wright “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.” – Robert Frost “Being a poet is one of the unhealthier jobs – no regular hours, so many temptations!” – Elizabeth Bishop “Poets are interested mostly in…

The biggest question facing any writer is what to blog about. You’ve got lots of options:• Future appearances – Upcoming book signings/readings, guest speaking appearances, and appearances on radio and TV broadcasts all can be promoted on your blog. After the events are held, be sure to blog about them as well, giving pictures from the event if…

Suffering from writer’s block or need to add some spunk to your writing? The problem may be that you need to change up your routine. To that end, try this tip: Open a dictionary or a thesaurus to any page and select a random word. Do this four more times, and carry the list of words…