If you’re thinking about joining or starting a writing group, great! It’s one of the best ways to gain (and give) support and feedback as you move forward with your writing. If you’re going to critique one another’s writing, though, it’s essential to establish some guidelines, giving your group focus and a shared purpose. I’ve…
When one of my writing groups met at our home not long ago, I asked them to do a fun exercise that you can do on your own. The idea is to look at the same thing but describe it through the eyes of people who have different backgrounds and points of view. This gives…
If you’ve ever read government, corporate or academic reports, you’ve probably seen plenty of passive writing. With passive voice, an action is done to something or someone, but we don’t know who did it, so we can’t see the action happening. For example: The new rules were implemented, and an opinion survey was conducted. The…
Whenever I teach a writing class, I let the students know up front that we’re really talking about life. It may SEEM like we’re discussing specific details and the structure of scene, but that’s only a disguise. Writing is life, and vice versa. So here’s a tip for all budding writers that applies to all…
