-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Free Tips on Writing, Self-Publishing and Promoting Your Book, Discounts on Editing, and More – Subscribe to My Weekly Newsletter!
Just sign up below. Look for “Subscribe” in the bright red box.
-
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…
-
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 NovelMost 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,…
-
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…
-
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 SubplotsSometimes 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…
-
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…
