Gram Editing Services

Words to the Wise

These articles distill some of my learning about writing and editing over the years. I invite you to read them, mull them over, and share them with your writing friends and colleagues. If you have questions or suggestions for future articles, email me.

• Get Yourself a Good Dictionary!

• How to Write a Sentence

• To Write You Must Read

• Is It Important to Get It Right in Fiction?

• Build Your Scaffolding, Then Take It Down

• Pick Up a Style Guide and Polish Your Words

• Is Your Story Just a Series of Episodes?

• Taking the Risk—Writing About Those We Know

• Creative Nonfiction? Isn't That an Oxymoron?

• Creative Nonfiction: A Tricky Business

• Creative Nonfiction Revisited

• Style and Voice: What's the Difference?

• Listen to Your Voice

• Theme: What Is Your Story About?

• How to Find Your Theme

• Syntax Defined—and Understood

• What Does an Acquisitions Editor Do?

• Why Use a Freelance Editor?

• Bring Your Writing to Life Through Dialogue

• Defying the Rules

• Get a Life! Does It Really Matter?
  A brief rant on the importance of punctuation

• I'm Sorry, Mrs. Willan, But You Were Wrong
  On beginning a sentence with a conjunction

• Be Active—It's Good for Your Health
  On the active and passive voice

• The Serial Comma—So Much Over So Little

• Let's Turn to the Big Picture

• Let's Be Plain About Plain Language