Words & Deeds

January 20, 2016

SEO & Word Repetition: Does Using Keywords Have To Ruin My Writing?

If you’re trying to turn your blog into a business (or blogging for a business), then you’ve probably done some research on SEO (and run into some headaches in the process).  Something you’ll see over and over again in that research is keyword optimization and how you should be sure to use your targeted keyword(s) over and over again in...

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January 19, 2016

Is Word Repetition Good Or Bad?

In middle school and high school, we’re taught that word repetition is bad, that we shouldn’t use the same word over and over again in the same piece if we can help it: it gets old/annoying, and it gives the impression that we have severely limited vocabularies. Later on, however, we’re sometimes told that it’s better to use the same...

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January 18, 2016

Happy Birthday, Peter Mark Roget!

Although it’s said that Philo of Byblos wrote the very first one, and that Amarasimha wrote one in Sanskrit called the Amarakosha, the first English thesaurus as we know it was written by Peter Mark Roget. As a writer, I use a thesaurus almost every day (at least), so I am very, very grateful he decided to do all that work. Can you...

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January 18, 2016

A Grammar-related T-shirt That Is All Too True

I do this automatically. At least, I’ve learned to do it silently (usually). On the other hand, I might be focusing on your speaking style so that I can use it when writing dialogue… but that’s too long to put on a t-shirt.

Categories Grammar & Editing/Humor & Wordplay Comments: 0

January 17, 2016

Criticism v. Editing: What’s the Difference?

I get the impression that people sometimes lump criticism and editing together when they are in fact two very separate entities. Since you don’t want to make the mistake of giving one when someone wanted the other, it’s important to understand their differences. From what I can see, the biggest differences are who, how, and why. Criticism As a rule,...

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January 16, 2016

Keeping “Constructive” in Criticism

Giving feedback or criticism is one thing. Making it constructive is entirely another (and those of you who’ve sat through horrible crits know exactly what I mean). Too many people think that criticism is either tearing someone down or being completely positive (to avoid hurting any feelings). Unfortunately, neither version is particularly good for revisions or mental health. If the crit is negative but not...

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January 15, 2016

This Oscar Wilde Quote Is the Definition of Harsh

I don’t know much about Oscar Wilde besides his writing, but as witty as he was, I get the impression I would not have wanted to sit through a critique from him. He seems fairly fond of the word “stupid,” and it’s not a favorite of mine (to put it very lightly). I think it would be fairer to say that getting irony...

Categories Quotes, Words, & Phrases Comments: 0

January 14, 2016

What on Earth Is a Comedy of Manners?

So I mentioned them as a Restoration innovation in “Shakespearian Tragedies & Happy Endings,” but what exactly is a comedy of manners? To be honest, it sounds pretty dull, right? (If I tried to think of a comical topic, manners wouldn’t be first on my list…at least not for wit) Yeah, well, although the genre does have to do with manners,...

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January 13, 2016

People Always Use Irony Correctly (Oh, the Irony of That Statement!)

So. Irony. A major literary device that is often misunderstood or just plain missed. Possibly because there are different kinds of irony. The big idea of irony, however, is that the literal/actual meaning and the intended meaning are opposites. (The title of this article, for instance.) Often confused with sarcasm, verbal irony is when a speaker says the opposite of what he/she...

Categories Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comments: 3

January 12, 2016

The Art of the Unlikely Coincidence: Serendipity & Synchronicity in Writing

One of the biggest challenges of writing novels well is tying everything together in a believable way. Part of the difficulty comes from how heavily plots rely on coincidences: little details that seem insignificant at first glance but somehow tie into the resolution. Like life, some coincidence is necessary; however, finding the right amount can be problematic. Too much reliance, and it...

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