Adverbs, words that describe or modify verbs, should be avoided whenever possible. If you’re using an adverb, it’s likely that you should be using a different single word instead of the adverb+verb combination. Instead of saying that someone is speaking quietly, say...
Last week, I wrote about the importance of setting goals, and how setting word count goals is better than trying to write for a duration of time. Word count goals gives you a quantifiable result that cuts out any perceived productivity that occurred while staring at a...
Writers on Writing
Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must be cantankerous and objectionable in order to be bright; that ego is paramount over skill; that one can rise to a level from which one can tell the reader to go to hell. These myths, if believed, can ruin you. If you believe you can make a living as a writer, you already have enough ego.
