The written word holds a power both bewitching and dread. The right words can topple kingdoms, grant immortality—even change the course of the world. Join me in The Laboratory as I delve into the foundations and principles of writing, from developing ideas and crafting an authorial voice to caring for yourself and building your community as a writer. New episodes are released every other Wednesday. Pull up a chair and settle in amongst the bubbling brews and frothing phials of the writer’s craft.
Maintaining Internal Logic & Consistency
Maintaining the internal consistency and logic of our writing can easily slip a writer’s attention, but such issues can be a nuisance for readers. The facts you present must agree with all facts stated elsewhere, but the finer details can become difficult for us to pick out. If you’re worried about committing these kinds of errors in your writing, read on for my advice.
Plagiarism, Copyright & Defamation
This time on the Laws of Writing we’ll be looking at the actual laws that apply to written works—namely plagiarism, copyright and defamation—and how to tell if your work is at risk in any of these categories.
What Is a Style Sheet?
Editors, especially copy editors, use what’s called a style sheet when working on new projects, though style sheets are not exclusive to the editorial profession. Style sheets can actually benefit writers as they write. Let’s look at how we can make use of them.
To Capitalize or Not to Capitalize?
To capitalize or not to capitalize. That really is the question.
Let’s look at how to capitalize on capitals.
Interruptions & Inclusions & Compounds—Oh My: A Who’s Who of Dashes & Hyphens
This week we’re zooming in on an oft-overlooked but important element of punctuation & grammar: dashes and hyphens.
Writing Fundamentals: Understanding Rules
The last post in our series (for now!) exploring the fundamentals of writing is all about rules, why it is important to understand them and how you can bend them for your own use.