Writers Blog

It may be appropriate to use sexist (or gender-specific) language in a novel. But there are very few times when you can or should appropriately identify a character, individual, or subject using only a masculine form of the word. And using a combination (him/her) is cumbersome. In educational writing...

You’ve lost sleep, skipped meals, and as for a social life, what’s that?  But you have that paper well-researched and have just put the finishing touches on the last draft. Now you want someone else, a professional, to examine your baby and make sure it’s as perfect as possible. After all, a course...

Revising gives you the chance to preview your work on behalf of the eventual reader. Revision is much more than proofreading, and in the final editing stage it involves some checking of details. Good review and editing can transform a mediocre first draft into an excellent final paper. It’s more work,...

“I’m a good writer; I don’t need anyone else to read my stuff. Why should I use a professional editor?” Ever said or thought that? Well, maybe it’s true that you’ve committed Strunk & White to memory. Your work is polished, professional, and print-ready, and publishers are scrambling to be the first...

One thing every professional editor must be very clear about is the variant spellings and meanings of words known as homophones. According to The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, homophones can serve as “one of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or derivation or spelling (such as...