Writing Tips for anyone

Evie's garden Recently, a friend described a meal he had savored at a good local restaurant. He said to me: “I would have wanted to have eaten every course.” He might have said more plainly and economically: “I would have wanted to eat every course.” The problem is my friend’s sequencing of tenses is overworked where it need not be. The verb phrase “would have wanted” is in the potential mood expressing a wish, something probable or possible. (John B. Opdycke, Harper’s English Grammar). “…would have wanted” is the principal verb phrase and “tells the whole story.” No necessity to repeat verb structures. The ... Read Full Story

Reprinted from the original guest posting by Jim Bessey February 18, 2009 · Robust Writing [ Editor’s Note : This is a guest post by Jim Bessey, who writes the Kitchens & Baths by D'Zyne blog: the online worksite home for D'Zyne Construction. You can learn more about Jim on his Helium page .] The Internet is filled with advice for better blog writing. Robust Writing is just one fine example of the thousands of sources for blogging tips. If you take the best advice and mix it with creativity and effort, you just might attract an audience. Some of you, however, might prefer ... Read Full Story

A friend recently asked for an interpretation of the following sentence: “For every one year, the debt per capita rises $1139.” She posed the question: Does the sentence unequivocally means the same as: “For each additional year, the debt per capita increases by $1139″? Santa Monica sustainable garden My Response: Yes, I believe it does mean this. Other ways of expressing the same thing: “For each additional year…” Or, “Every one year, every one year, every one year…etc.” Definitions of every, which acts as an Determiner (specific kind of adjective): 1. “All of a countable group, without exception.” As: Every person in the room ... Read Full Story

Let's talk about rules for creative writing, since the rules for more rigid styles are much too boring. First of all, there are no real rules! If you can engage your readers, and make them ache for more, then you have won the game fair and square. So let's just say, there are ways that work. Call them guidelines, if you wish. Foremost of these: draw me in! Make me want to read whatever it is you've written. Maybe your title does the job. More often your first sentence provokes success or failure. If you can't bait the hook, you can't catch me as ... Read Full Story

Colleen Williams on Los Angeles’ local KNBC Channel 4 News reported that a woman in Riverside County had been struck by lightening. Williams said, “…she (the victim) experienced moderate injuries, but she is expected to survive.” Williams should have said, “and” she is expected to survive. “But” changes the meaning to: “although” something happened, an expected thing did not happen. The phrase “moderate injuries” indicates we should expect the woman to survive. “Lighting struck the woman, but she is expected to survive” suffices. The introduction of the word “moderate” alters the meaning. Read Full Story