Category Archives: Language usage

Odd Writer Terminology: Mawkish and Maudlin

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Jodi

This installment of Odd Writer Terminology is inspired by a recent David Farland Writing Tip about writing emotions. If you haven’t subscribed to his daily emails, I highly recommend it.  He provides insights not only into the vast writing universe, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Emotional Impact, Language usage, Writer's Voice | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Simple Joy of Unexpected Descriptive Metaphor

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Jodi

“He was the crazy one who had painted himself black and defeated the world. She was the book thief without the words. Trust me, though, the words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Emotional Impact, Language usage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

When Vocabulary Isn’t Your Friend

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Jodi

In recent weeks my children have decided that their favorite TV show is the cartoon Caillou.  This isn’t a problem, the show tries hard to teach life lessons to preschool and younger children. These lessons have included thrilling topics such … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Editing and Revision, Language usage, Writer's Voice | 15 Comments

Transforming Awkward Thoughts into Useable Text

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Jodi

The writing powers that be are laughing at my humorous attempts at editing.  If you could see the notes in my manuscript you’d understand.  On each page there are notes pointing out sections of telling not showing, clunky dialogue, adverbs, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Editing and Revision, Language usage, Writer's Voice, Writing Exercise | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Using Personal Space to Your Advantage

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Jodi

  Two weeks ago in the post “Using Stereotypes to your Advantage” we discussed how the careful use of widely accepted stereotypes can add flavor and personality to a scene without adding the bulk of excessive description.  Today we will … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Editing and Revision, Language usage, Visual writing, Writer's Voice | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Writing Exercise: Without any “E”

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Jodi

Heather over at RapturedHeart has inspired me to try something new and indeed a challenge.  She was inspired by this Plinky prompt: Write a one hundred word story without using the letter “E.” Historically this idea isn’t new.  The stories … Continue reading →

Posted in Art of Writing, Language usage, Writing Exercise | Tagged , , , , , | 18 Comments

Grammarland: A Lot, Alot, Allot, and Shallots

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Jodi

Let us return to the mythical oasis of Grammarland where the magic water of words flows in abundance.  Ladies and gentlemen, I confess, I have a bad habit of typing “alot” when I’m not paying attention. No, not a lot … Continue reading →

Posted in Grammarland, Humor, Language usage | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Simon Heffer at UK’s Telegraph “Strictly English”

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Jodi

In light of today being a National holiday I will let Simon Heffer over at the Telegraph do my post for me.  A hat tip goes to my dear aunt who emails me interesting tidbits from around the world whenever … Continue reading →

Posted in Featured Resource, Grammarland, Language usage | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments