by Pat Iyer | May 15, 2019 | Blog, Writing Skills
A homophone is a word that sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning. Note that some of the word pairs aren’t pure homophones, such as lose and loose. I include them because they’re close enough to get easily confused. Lose/loose “Lose” is a verb...
by Pat Iyer | May 8, 2019 | Blog, Book writing, Publishing
When you are sitting in front of a computer trying to write publications, you may wonder, “Is this really worth it?” Keep in mind these benefits when you question whether you should attempt to get something published. In this post, publications means articles and...
by Pat Iyer | May 1, 2019 | Blog, Grammar, Writing Skills
A comma may be a little squiggle, but it does a lot for your writing. It adds meaning, clarity, elegance, and, in some cases, beauty to your writing. Its absence can bore or confuse the reader. Comma usage is loaded with rules, and it’s a good idea to study them....
by Pat Iyer | Apr 24, 2019 | Blog, Writing Skills
Maybe. Are you confusing singular and plural forms in the same sentence? And is this really wrong? Grammar rarely enters the world of culture and politics. Pronouns are a notable exception to this generality. Prior to the 1970s, the default pronoun was “he.” “If a...
by Pat Iyer | Apr 19, 2019 | Blog, Book writing
When we read something, we don’t pay much attention to subjects like long sentences, paragraphs, and chapters—until they interfere with our reading. That’s the point at which the writer is in danger of losing his or her audience. You don’t want that point to come....
by Pat Iyer | Apr 11, 2019 | Blog, Ghostwriting
To understand what a ghostwriter does, it helps to understand what she does not do. Ghostwriters aren’t proofreaders, copyeditors, or developmental editors, although some ghostwriters perform all of these services as well. A proofreader goes through a manuscript for...