Writing 101: How to Make a Word

The English language has more words in it than I personally think is necessary. The vocabulary is so big, experts can only guess at how many words there actually are. That's because language is a changing thing, something that's always evolving. You can actually force some of those changes yourself. You just need to know how to make a word. 

The Right Words

I'm not a big fan of inventing words, because like I said the language is already too big, but if you're going to do it you may want to try using a formula. There's a really easy way to invent new words, and people have been using it for years. Just add -ish. 

Writing 101: Even If I Over-Use Even...

Every writer has flashes of insight every so often, and thankfully I am no exception. And just the other day, while I was proofreading something, I had to scold myself aloud. I had to tell myself something: you use the word "even" too much. And I do. Are you doing it, too?

Even If I Do...

It's not the first problem I've had with "empty" words that don't really lend anything to the story that I'm writing. I even wrote an entire post about my weird habit of preceding most of my sentences with "it seems" for a long period of time. Mark Twain had a problem with the word "very." Right now, I'm even over-using "even" -- so often that I keep finding little ways to slip it into my writing, even now. 

Writing 101: Writing Exercise

Stuck? Don't know what to write next? Can't create something that works? It's okay. I have a writing exercise that can help you with all of that. 

Just Keep Swimming

Sylvia Plath practically wrote an entire chapter about trying to start a book in The Bell Jar. I've stared at blank screens way more times than I'd like to admit. Sometimes, just getting started with something is the hardest possible writing you'll have to do. There's a way to fix it, and it's easier than you think.

What's the key to shaking yourself out of that funk and turning a blank screen into big chunks of text? Just keep swimming.

Why I Love/Hate Writing

 Every writer hates writing sometimes. Or maybe it's just me.

Visit Taking It One Page at a Time, a blog by freelancer and friend of the blog Danica Page, to find out why I fell in love with writing...and why sometimes, I hate it.

Writing 101 Redux: Copyrighting Your Writing

Are you copyrighting your books? Are you doing it the right way? Depending on where you are in the world, the laws are different. Know them, and protect your writing from theft. 

Get into all the details of copyrighting your books with me today in this Throwback Thursday Writing 101 tip.

Writing 101: Calling a Spade a Spade

You can call me an indie author if you like, but you can also call me an autonomous wordsmith if you really feel like it. 

Or maybe you'd better just stick with indie author. When you are one, you'll find that often simple language is the best. So when you're writing, let's just call a spade a spade. It takes too long to look for synonyms for the word shovel.

Writing 101: Several Years' Worth of Punctuation Frustration

I often write about the writing problems that I encounter, and this is one that just won't go away. I have so much trouble when it comes to apostrophes and time, I'll usually find a way to re-write the sentence instead. The rule is confusing, and it's one that you'll have to memorize in order to get right. 

Punctuation Frustration

You can wait for a package to come for months, and you can wait for a month of Sundays. You can even wait a week's time for that package to come to your door. But when you have two weeks' worth of waiting piled up, punctuation gets totally flipping confusing. Yes, I'm about to come up with some better examples of how to do it correctly. 

Writing 101: Forums, What Are They Good For?

Reading writer forums was one of my New Year's resolutions, and for a few months I tried to stick with it. I added four new groups to my reader, and promptly hated my decision. After I started reading the forums, I fell even further behind on my review commitments and spent far too much time swearing at authors who will never know I scorned them. But the other day, I finally figured out a reason to really like reading the forums. I now know why this isn't the biggest possible waste of my time, or yours.

What I've Learned

I've made no secret of my forums frustration. I think would-be authors ask too many questions when they ought to be researching. I see the same questions over and over again. I groan and complain and roll my eyes, but I also know (now) that forums do serve a purpose.