-
Robbed by Bad Grammar: Stick Up vs. Stickup
Don’t let these two words hold up your writing! Stickup is a noun meaning a robbery at gunpoint, as in That convenience store has seen more stickups this year than any other in New York City. Stick up is a verb in which a person raises his or her hands straight up in the air, which is what police…
-
5 Great Quotations about the Writing Life
“Writing became such . . . that I couldn’t wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say.” – Sharon O’Brien “Love is easy, and I love writing. You can’t resist love. You get an idea, someone says something, and you’re in love.” – Ray Bradbury “For…
-
Utilize Literary Dream Device with Caution
The purpose of our nightly dreams remains unclear, for they appear to be void of any consistent meaning. In literature, however, dreams are quite the opposite. Chock full of symbolism, they can help define the character and advance the plot by foreshadowing events. This device in fiction is known as a literary dream. For a literary dream to…
-
Five Great Quotations about Editing
“Prune what is turgid, elevate what is commonplace, arrange what is disorderly, introduce rhythm where the language is harsh, modify where it is too absolute.” – Marcus Fabius Quintilianus “The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.” – Thomas Jefferson “Write drunk; edit sober.” – Peter De Vries (often…
-
Marketing Tip: Harness Your “Local” Status
One of your biggest selling points, especially if a novelist, is that you’re “local.” While that can only take you so far, you’d be foolish not to fully harness it. A lot of businesses and institutions “local” products or those about their region. Among them:• Libraries• Tourism bureaus and historical societies• Gift shops• Book stores• Stores…
-
4 Must-Know Spelling Rules for Writers
• Rules for spelling possessive nouns • Double or single l when adding a suffix?• Correct method for making ‘process’ plural• Split infinitives: To quickly confuse or not to confuse ______________ 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…
-
5 Great Sci-Fi Writing Prompts
Science fiction stories typically revolve around a novum, a scientifically plausible concept that is a “reality” in the tale. The novum might be an mechanical device like robot servants, artificial intelligence, or space stations with artificial gravity; it also can be a hypothetical idea such as “The Earth is a scientific experiment run by aliens to…
-
5 Great Quotations about Word Choice
“A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket.” – Charles Peguy “Literature is the art of using words. This is not a platitude, but a truth of the first importance, a truth so profound that many writers…
-
Two l’s or not two l’s: Canceled vs. cancelled
Which way you spell this word depends upon where you are in the English-speaking world. Americans use “canceled” while Brits and Canadians use “cancelled.” ______________ 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…
-
5 Best Sci-Fi Writing Prompts: Novums
Science fiction stories typically arise from a novum, a scientifically plausible concept that is a “reality” in the tale. The novum might be an mechanical device like robot servants, artificial intelligence, or faster-than-light spacecraft; it also can be a hypothetical idea such as “The Earth is a scientific experiment run by aliens to determine the meaning of…
