The Picky Pen
Misplaced Modifiers
As an author, you have to carefully craft sentences that grab the reader’s attention. Part of that, as I…
November 19, 2025-
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The Picky Pen
Imagery
In a previous article, I discussed word choice. This is an important element in literature, particularly when using imagery.…
June 28, 2025 -
The Picky Pen
Appropriate Verb Tense for a Story
Have you ever wondered what verb tense works best in various pieces of writing? Worse yet, have you ever…
May 28, 2025 -
The Picky Pen
Writing Styles
So, you want to write an article but you don’t know where to start? To make it even more…
April 24, 2025 -
Book ProposalsDon’t Trust Your Spellchecker
As writers, many people choose the course of least resistance. It’s easy to leave the spelling and grammar…
October 26, 2024 -
The Picky Pen
Considering Word Choice
Previously, we talked about the need to vary sentence structure to keep your writing from sounding repetitive. In that…
October 22, 2024 -
The Picky Pen
Use of Transition Words or Phrases
Do all of your sentences sound similar, or are you having difficulty transitioning from one scene to the next?…
August 22, 2024 -
A Lighter Look at the Writer's LifeTaming the Inner Copyeditor
“Your the best!” “Let’s go over their.” “The Smith’s” Are you cringing? I am. Welcome to my world. Am…
March 6, 2024 -
A Lighter Look at the Writer's Life
Syrup, Anyone?
One thing I always tell budding writers, both in my classes at school and in my role as a…
June 6, 2022 -
Proofed and PolishedSentence Fragments Missing Something.
What does the title of this article say? Reread it. Did your brain fill in the missing word automatically…
October 10, 2021 -
Proofed and Polished
Do You Know The Apostrophe Basics?
In elementary school, I distinctly remember doing numerous worksheets on the possessive -s. There would be a list of…
August 22, 2021 -
Proofed and Polished
Short and Sweet: Avoiding Run-on Sentences
Each author has their own unique voice. Likely, you’ve spent a lot of time developing the tone and style…
February 10, 2021 -
Proofed and Polished
Who Are We Talking About? Using Pronouns and Antecedents
Keeping Your Sentences Clear Example #1 “They had such a great time at the amusement park. First, my aunt…
January 10, 2021 -
Proofed and Polished
Cat Got Your Tongue? Tricky Idiomatic Expressions That Get Us Bent Out of Shape
Let’s Cut Ourselves Some Slack Adding a little flair to your writing with idioms can be confusing, but hang…
December 10, 2020 -
Guest Posts9 Writing Tools to Become More Productive as a Writer
Do you want to become a successful writer? Be ready to work hard and keep your productivity high. Yep,…
November 28, 2020 -
Writers ChatWriters Chat Recap for December Part 2
Writers Chat, hosted by Jean Wise, Johnnie Alexander, and Bethany Jett, is the show where we talk about all…
December 31, 2019 -
History in the MakingNotes from a Contest Judge
Have you ever entered your work in a writing contest? These contests are organized by organizations like the American…
December 20, 2019 -
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: How to Edit Slashes
We’re toward the end of our self-editing blog post punctuation series, but it certainly is not the end of…
October 22, 2019 -
A Lighter Look at the Writer's Life
A Comma Here, A Comma There
I spent the better part of yesterday evening, into the night, grading analysis essays. As I marked up the…
October 6, 2019 -
Magazine and FreelanceWhat Oscar Mayer Wieners Have to Do with Style
One of the joys (and frustrations) of the English language is how it ebbs, flows, and changes. Unlike dead…
September 14, 2019 -
A Lighter Look at the Writer's Life
You Are . . .
Your not going to like what I say. You might feel like pulling you’re hair out. I am assuming…
September 6, 2019 -
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: How to Edit the Em Dash
In the world of grammar and punctuation, there are three types of dash (hyphen, en dash, and em dash).…
July 22, 2019 -
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: How to Edit En Dashes
In the world of grammar and punctuation, there are three types of dash (hyphen, en dash, and em dash).…
June 22, 2019 -
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: How to Edit Lists
Presentation is everything, especially when it comes to the publishing world. And your presentation of punctuation is crucial to…
May 22, 2019 -
Grammar and GraceApart or A Part. Which One?
Do you stay up at night wondering which one to choose–apart or a part? I don’t either, but when…
March 18, 2019
