“I Used to Be an Ex-Manager” and More Than over 1100+ Other Redundant Phrases

Dip in to this list anywhere, and give your inner editor’s funny bone a tickle. Take “hurriedly scurried.” Or “moral high horse.” Or “live studio audience.” “Old codgers.” “Old coots.” “Old fossils.” “Old ruins.” “Commonly available general knowledge that anyone would know.” I don’t make this stuff up. Bonus: Smiling at redundant phrases sharpens your writing. Warning: These things are addictive. Continue reading

Be-Verb Bumper Stickers Make a Comeback

A car pulled up next to my Prius at a stoplight in downtown Portland. The driver opened her window and asked, “What does your bumper sticker mean?” Through my passenger window, I told her that it means to look for verbs like “is” and “were” and “are,” and then consider how you might reword to make the writing tighter and more impactful. “You made my day,” she said. Continue reading

How to Write the Kind of Descriptions Your Readers Crave

Your readers crave descriptions so compelling that they see, smell, touch, hear … experience what you’ve put into words. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, for pleasure or for pay, Ali Shaw’s new video explains how you can meditate your way to the descriptive details that may be eluding you. Continue reading