That. It's nearly an enemy to an editor. When we talk, we use "that" as a transition word to help us keep our thoughts flowing while we talk. It gives us a chance to pause and think while we are speaking. "That" keeps a listener engaged because it lends anticipation to our speech, whether used in a conversation or a formal speech. It's true for any level of speech and perfectly acceptable. The opposite is true when writing. "That" is by far the word I delete most often. It's totally unnecessary in most writings and should be eliminated 90% of the time. The remaining 10% tells you it shouldn't be completely eliminated from all writings. Using it sparingly is key. Here's a relevant example. In the sentence above, I said,  "The remaining 10% tells you it shouldn't be completely eliminated from all writings."  The vast majority of people would write,  "The remaining 10% tells you that it shouldn't...

I often say everyone needs an editor. I thought I would elaborate on this idea for a few minutes. Needing an editor does not make you an idiot. Admitting you need an editor sets you apart. I can't tell you how many blog posts and articles I've read that needed editing. For me, it's rather distracting. I've come up with a few reasons editing is so necessary. 1. When we write, we are spelling out our passion. Whether it's a lifestyle blog or instructions on how to cook crickets, writers write with passion and passion often disregards grammar. Perhaps one could argue that the more mistakes you make while writing, the more passionate you are about your topic. 2. We often write how we think or talk. One universal thing I teach my writing students is not to write how they talk unless they are writing a novel with that required dialog. A common mistake I see on this one is, "I could of gone to town," which should read, "I could have gone to town....

Happy New Year! It's always exciting to begin a new year. With the anticipation of all that 2016 can hold for you, make this the year you finally write that novel, memoir, short story, poem or e-book. This is your year to get published and I wrote a book designed to help you do just that. Writing for Publication is now available in paperback, in addition to the e-book. Writing for Publication is a simple, easy-to-read, comprehensive handbook on how to write for publication. In it, you'll learn why you shouldn't write the same way you talk, how to keep your audience in mind while writing, why grammar is so important and much, much more. My writing style is to the point with no frills. Just the facts. Just the plan. Just the way you like it. My students get published. As a personal writing coach, I've helped an 87-year-old great grandmother get published for the first time. I coached a 14-year-old girl who won the school writing contest she entered. I coach...

We all talk funny. The English language is full of idioms and words with double meanings. Different parts of the country use words differently as well. When we write for publication, however, we are writing for a much broader audience than most of us talk to. If we publish a blog post, it has potential to be read across the world, not just by the people in our state or county here in the USA. In light of this, I teach my writing students to never write how they talk. We have to write in a more uniform way in order to be understood by the most readers. We don't want our readers to have to work at reading our writing; it needs to flow effortlessly. If you write how you talk, it will not flow effortlessly for the reader, even if it seems to for you as the writer. The bottom line is that writing for publication means you write for others, not yourself. Your motivation does not have to change, you can still get your point across, but you need to do it in the best way possible. H...

I read a few blogs on a regular basis. There are some things that immediately turn me away from some blogs, however, and I rarely read their content and there are a few reasons why. 1. I don't read content that is dotted with ALL CAPS. When text is in all caps, it is akin to shouting. It does not come across as simply emphasis; it comes across as shouting. I don't need to be shouted at and I do not listen to people who shout at me unless they are saving my life from imminent danger. If you have content that needs emphasis, try putting it in bold letters or italicize the words. 2. I don't read blogs that play music. I am often listening to my own music, or working along side my kids who are studying in our home school, so music suddenly blasting from a blog or website is highly disruptive and unwelcome. I exit immediately and don't read the content. 3. I don't read content that is filled with errors. A typo here and there is one thing; we all make mistakes, b...

This morning, while preparing some paperwork (a brochure) for an upcoming workshop I'm teaching on blogging, I had to stop working, set the work aside, and run an errand. While stopping work in the middle of a project may seem frustrating at the time, this turned out to be a great thing for me. When I came back to the project, I noticed a mistake I had missed before. Fresh eyes help us see things more clearly, things we might otherwise miss in our writing. So, advice for the day: Go away......but come back to a more productive experience. Happy Writing, ~Tricia

These are wise words: You have to write it. I was recently reading this article by Ellen Rohr about starting a business and her first words of advice are, "You have to write it." She was referring to people who attempt to start a business but have all their plans in their head. She says that writing it down makes it real. I have been giving this advice to my writing students for years! When you write it down, it changes it. Writing it down makes it official. Picture yourself being chosen for a committee. You love what the committee is about and you pour your time and energy coming up with a plan for the committee. At your first committee meeting, you pass your plans out to the others...the plans you have written down. Because it's highly unlikely anyone else wrote down a plan, it's equally likely that your plan will be used. Why? Because it was written down. Official looking. Official sounding. Written down. Writing it down helps you be objective because you ...

As an independent "indee" writer, I'm fully aware of the fact that I have to create and keep my own momentum going. How do you build your momentum?  How do you keep it going?  Mostly, I write because I have something to say. I currently have four different blogs, this one being my most professional.  My other blogs represent other areas of my life, be it theology ,  cooking or crafting . I am also considering starting a photography blog as my interest in photography (and my related awards) is growing. A few things I do to keep my momentum going might help you, too. Write.  Even if I'm writing for writing's sake, I write. I don't publish everything I write. I don't publish a blog post every day, but I write every day. Writing, even for yourself, is a great way to keep your momentum going. Publish. Whether you publish what you write as a facebook note or a blog, publish often. Search the internet for publishing outlets you have not previously us...

Writing is a process. Depending on what you're writing, the process can be long or short. A process requires patience, endurance, focus, determination and fortitude. Once you have your book idea, whether you're writing a novel or your own personal memoir, the actual writing is a process. Preparing for the process is key to having the patience and endurance to see it through to the end. In order to prepare for the process, it helps to know and understand the process.  The process has specific steps which include: Prewriting Drafting Revising  Editing Prewriting = Anything you do before you actually write a draft of your project. This includes, but is not limited to: Thinking Getting the idea Talking to others Brainstorming Taking notes Outlining Gathering information All these things count toward the writing process. If you're thinking about writing a novel, you have already started the process! It starts with a thought. This part o...

Sometimes the best laid plans get side-tracked. What's a writer to do when that happens? Keep writing, of course! My plans have been side-tracked this fall.  My original plan was to offer my regular Writing for Publication and E-Publishing classes through Community Education through the school districts in which I was already offering the classes, expand to an additional school district and also begin offering an online writing course. Also, my local Community Education Office had offered to give me a "Featured Instructor" page in their fall booklet, complete with a bio and an expansion on the success of my classes. This success, of course, started with Amanda Hocking and her launch into e-publishing. But, this year, my plans were side-tracked. Instead of teaching my regular classes, we are moving, relocating to another part of the country.  Because our move is pending, I could not commit to any of my classes and had to turn down my local district's offer to be ...

How do you organize your writing projects? I like to think of myself as organized, but to someone looking in, I would not appear very organized  at all.  Life is busy. Organization takes work.  I get lazy.  Stuff piles up.  You get the picture.  But, right now, I have a big writing project in the works and I'm actively working to get this project organized to help it go more smoothly, and to help it be successful.  I'm in the process of creating different computer files, organized into one folder with the project title as the folder name. As I look to the future and writing full-time, I'm experimenting with different systems to find which works best for me.  For now, I'm excited about the new folder/file system and am determined to stay as organized as I start out being. I may combine several systems into one new system. This is not my normal method, so I'm really excited about the challenge this presents.  Normally, I think about a writi...

Writers, are you reading this summer? Reading is a "must do" for any writer, experienced or aspiring.  Reading expands your thinking, expands your vocabulary, exposes you to new ideas and styles of writing and helps your own writing improve by all these means.  One of the points in the writing class I teach is "Read to Write." Summer is a great time to do some serious reading, at least in my life.  Actually, so if fall, winter and spring for that matter!  So far this summer, I have read: The Devil in Pew Number Seven  by Rebecca Nichols Alonzo with Bob DeMoss       I couldn't put this book down!  It was a fantastic story of how far some people have the potential to go when controlled by their ego. Memiors of a Holocaust Survivor, Icek Kuperberg   by Icek Kuperberg      I read Holocaust survivor books annually, several times throughout the year, actually.  While some parts are very hard to read because I can't ...