Tag: self-editing
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The Red Pen: Comma Chameleon
Perhaps no single keystroke has incited such violence of emotion as the Oxford comma. Also called the serial comma, it’s more or less grammatically optional in America—but don’t let our noncommittal adoption of the mark fool you. The Oxford comma has become something of a pop culture icon. It appears on t-shirts, drinking glasses, infant…
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The Red Pen: Save Yourself from Seven Deadly Writing Sins
Okay, bear with me. Here’s a first draft: FIRST DRAFT: She was clearly dolefully miserable. “How . . . how . . . how could you?” she sputtered out in a voice that was icy with shock and rage. He sank down into the couch and rubbed his temple, framed by thick, salt and pepper…
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Ernest Hemingway is Your Spirit Animal (or Probably Should Be)
“My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.” – Ernest Hemingway I can get behind that. “Papa” Hemingway’s novels are masterpieces of verbal economy—perennial favorites on high school reading lists because of their brevity. You read Hemingway, and you just know he…
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The Manuscript Diet
Looking to whittle down your word count? Here are three simple ways to cut the fat. Eliminate passive voice Remember this from elementary school? Passive voice is the difference between “The boy kicked the ball” and “The ball was kicked by the boy.” In the former, the subject (boy) is doing the action—in this case,…
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