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When I was in high school, students were often forced to write their essays in the dreaded five-paragraph format. Being a passive-aggressive rebel, I often neglected to write that way. Because of this, I’d often be graded poorly on many assignments. I just let my words flow without any regard for restrictions we were meant…
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When the well runs dry and you’re thirsty for inspiration, find a new watering hole. Find a new stream, river, lake or pond to sit by and ponder. When your train of thought runs out of steam, and you’re running on fumes, you may just need better fuel. The one you’re using may be too…
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While repurposing my old academic papers, I’m discovering my supposedly irrational love of adverbs has not faltered through the years. Without a doubt, I’m a far better writer a decade after writing many of these pieces I’ve been revising. As I’m rewriting, I’ll use the wonderful Hemingway App to help trim down some run-on sentences…
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My dreams as a writer I’d say are fairly simple: I just want to write something important. That’s not writing just another New York Times bestseller. It doesn’t involve taking advantage of a fad. I’m not seeking a cult following. There is a deep desire within me to write something not only significant, but undeniably…
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The ingredients that make up a great writer are all quite different. What’s more important to consider is where a writer comes from, since what molds a writer to be great goes far beyond what stuff with which they are actually made. Mind you, I never dreamed of being the greatest writer ever; just that…
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My essay writing process often begins with a barrage of run-on sentences. Sometimes when I’m drafting my thoughts, at least on the first pass, it seems to take many words to complete a sentence. It often needs an abundance of punctuation, as well, most specifically a multitude of commas; the idea being that the mind…
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Once, I was accused of a horrible crime: thinking in complete sentences. Perhaps it’s not, in fact, a crime. But, it’s apparently quite an unusual trait to possess. I admit that I do have a rather peculiar way of processing information. But, does that mean that most people think in sentence fragments instead? That would…
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While I’ve been writing professionally for more than a decade, I have written mostly as what is known as a ghostwriter. That is, someone who has ghostwritten articles and website copy. When you think about writers—or just about anyone who creates something from scratch—it’s natural to expect their process to start with an idea and…
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In school, most of us were taught about the thesis statement. This statement is supposed to be the anchor of any written work, providing direction and focus to the entire piece. It typically shows up at the end of your introduction, stating the main idea you want to get across with the words to come.…
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“Soup” is one of my favorite words in the English language. It’s such a pleasant word. When you think of soup, it’s comforting. However, the actual meaning of ‘soup’ is pretty cut and dry. This is the Oxford Dictionary’s definition of soup: “a liquid dish, typically made by boiling meat, fish, or vegetables, etc., in…