Are some words we have in our toolbox as writers really “unusable”? Why are some words considered to be taboo or maybe reserved for “mature” audiences? There really are no fixed answers to those and similar questions about word usage. From one culture to another, from one time to another, words fall into and rise out [...]Post from: Writing Tips at GarySpeer.com Do you collect things? Great deals on collectibles of all sorts found on eBay. We make it easy at "Fun for C... Read Full Story

I’ve always been fascinated by word origins and meanings. The formal study of that is called “etymology,” or study of the history and evolution of words. It’s always been fun for me to explore words, how we use them and why they are used one way and not another. I generally love to read mystery [...]Post from: Writing Tips at GarySpeer.com Do you collect things? Great deals on collectibles of all sorts found on eBay. We make it easy at "Fun for Collectors"! (This conte... Read Full Story

I was reminded this week of how very widely the Internet has become as a research tool. A few days ago, I dropped by my friendly mechanic’s shop for him to check out a car I was buying. I found him huddled over in a corner hunched over an antique (nearly) desktop computer — surfing [...]Post from: Writing Tips at GarySpeer.com Do you collect things? Great deals on collectibles of all sorts found on eBay. We make it easy at "Fun for Collectors"! (This content is copyright protected... Read Full Story

Do you include photos or graphics in your writing? I come from a non-graphic, non-photography background, so much of my writing in the past, and my blogging in the present, centers on words, not pictures. Although I’ve enjoyed taking photos in the past and still do when I see something I like, photography has never been [...]Post from: Writing Tips at GarySpeer.com Do you collect things? Great deals on collectibles of all sorts found on eBay. We make it easy at "Fun for Collectors"! (Th... Read Full Story

Do you include photos or graphics in your writing? I come from a non-graphic, non-photography background, so much of my writing in the past, and my blogging in the present, centers on words, not pictures. Although I’ve enjoyed taking photos in the past and still do when I see something I like, photography has never been [...]Post from: Writing Tips at GarySpeer.com Do you collect things? Great deals on collectibles of all sorts found on eBay. We make it easy at "Fun for Collectors"! (Th... Read Full Story

You’ve probably seen the newspaper and magazine ads for Amish fireplaces, Amish home builders, Amish demolition crews, Amish style cooking, and probably (although I haven’t seen them) you could even find ads for Amish buggies and Amish buggy whips. Hence, thanks to generations of successful copy writing by all the ad guys, a religion that centers [...]Post from: Writing Tips at GarySpeer.com Do you collect things? Great deals on collectibles of all sorts found on eBay. We make it ... Read Full Story

You’ve probably seen the newspaper and magazine ads for Amish fireplaces, Amish home builders, Amish demolition crews, Amish style cooking, and probably (although I haven’t seen them) you could even find ads for Amish buggies and Amish buggy whips. Hence, thanks to generations of successful copy writing by all the ad guys, a religion that centers [...]Post from: Writing Tips at GarySpeer.com Do you collect things? Great deals on collectibles of all sorts found on eBay. We make it ... Read Full Story

I’ve discovered the greatest feature about cable or satellite dish television is that it broadcasts digital music on literally dozens of channels, and I enjoy the music much more than most television programming. So I use our television most of the day as a music box. Our son has tried to persuade us that we need [...]Post from: Writing Tips at GarySpeer.com Do you collect things? Great deals on collectibles of all sorts found on eBay. We make it easy at "Fun for Collectors"! (This cont... Read Full Story

I’ve discovered the greatest feature about cable or satellite dish television is that it broadcasts digital music on literally dozens of channels, and I enjoy the music much more than most television programming. So I use our television most of the day as a music box. Our son has tried to persuade us that we need [...]Post from: Writing Tips at GarySpeer.com Do you collect things? Great deals on collectibles of all sorts found on eBay. We make it easy at "Fun for Collectors"! (This cont... Read Full Story

Do you ever write “how to” books or articles? How do you go about structuring your material? Have you ever tackled something like this which required a lot of research? Or do you limit your “how to” writing to something you’ve actually done and have experience at? I suspect the best “how to” stuff is grounded [...]Post from: Writing Tips at GarySpeer.com Do you collect things? Great deals on collectibles of all sorts found on eBay. We make it easy at ... Read Full Story