Pat Iyer’s Blog
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Readers Make Better Writers
I always loved reading more than almost any other activity. It’s no coincidence that my siblings are also avid readers. I believe this habit made us better writers. Our mother instilled the love of reading in us. Whenever any of us complained about boredom, she said,...
Why Do You Need a Good Vocabulary?
Writers, especially those who are just beginning to write regularly, think that having a good vocabulary means knowing a lot of long, obscure words. What, they rightly ask, is the point of learning words no one will understand? Who wants to read a blog or other piece...
Plagiarism: The Eighth Deadly Sin
It may not rank with the traditional seven deadly sins of pride, greed, wrath, gluttony, lust, gluttony, and sloth, but plagiarism can wreck your writing career much more effectively. One of the issues that comes up frequently in terms of material generated by...
Write Your Story – Something AI Cannot Do
While AI can't write your story, that doesn’t mean it can’t write any stories. You could tell it to write something showing that crime doesn’t pay or to give you ideas for writing that kind of story. But would that be your story? This question takes the debate about...
How to Engage with an Active Voice
While newer writers fall more easily into telling rather than showing in their work, experienced writers don’t have immunity. Here are some ways to use active voice to keep readers. How Much of Your Writing Employs the Active Voice? You can identify passive voice by...
How to Use AI to Create Titles
Writing a title can be difficult. Many of us struggle to describe the essence of what we’ve written in a few words in a way that both engages potential readers and contains the keywords that will rank well on search engines. Have you used AI to create titles? Coming...
How to Be Clear When You Write
You need more than the ability to write concisely to keep your readers. One of the seven deadly writers’ sins is to confuse your reader. When they have to pause to figure out what you’re saying, they lose the drift of what you’re writing, and you may lose a reader. ...
AI and Medicine: Will Your Next Doctor Be an AI Bot?
Consider the ramifications of AI and medicine: the physician-patient consultation. The particular example I use involves ChatGPT. While the program can’t replace the value of a medical professional, recent research suggests that it may have a better “bedside manner.”...
Are You Worried About Getting a Book Critique?
You think your book manuscript is wonderful—or you think it’s awful. Wherever you fall on the spectrum of confidence in what you’ve written, you need feedback in the form of a book critique. Does that sound like frightening news? It’s your book. You care about it. You...
Can AI Hurt You?
Can AI hurt you? Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming part of everyone’s life. The news media covers it extensively, and every writers’ publication I receive has at least one article about the topic per issue. Those who love technology are thrilled by the...
Recent Posts
Readers Make Better Writers
I always loved reading more than almost any other activity. It’s no coincidence that my siblings are also avid readers. …Read More »
Why Do You Need a Good Vocabulary?
Writers, especially those who are just beginning to write regularly, think that having a good vocabulary means knowing a lot …Read More »
Plagiarism: The Eighth Deadly Sin
It may not rank with the traditional seven deadly sins of pride, greed, wrath, gluttony, lust, gluttony, and sloth, but …Read More »
Write Your Story – Something AI Cannot Do
While AI can’t write your story, that doesn’t mean it can’t write any stories. You could tell it to write …Read More »
How to Engage with an Active Voice
While newer writers fall more easily into telling rather than showing in their work, experienced writers don’t have immunity. Here …Read More »