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
One of my many theories about short stories is that their titles and first lines ought to be memorable, because if not memorable they will not be remembered, and if not remembered the stories will not be reprinted (because no one can find them).
