clichés

Cliché-o-Meter (Demo)

Load a demo and view the generated results. We all use clichés, often without realizing it—and there's a place for…

5 months ago

Writing is Design: Avoid Writing Clichés for Better Prose

Since time immemorial, clichés have sneaked in the door when we least expect them to. They're low-hanging fruit for writers…

6 months ago

Verbs: Spice Up Your Writing with Verbs that Rock

Verbs are the engines that move your writing and your readers, but many authors don’t spend enough time choosing the…

6 months ago

Writing is Design: Two-Word Writing Clichés

Two-word clichés are perhaps the least obvious kind. Unless we’re vigilant, they sneak into our prose, steal color, mask our…

6 months ago

English Pet Peeves

Discussions of English Language pet peeves provide an entertaining forum for the expression of ire. In fact, if a “pet”…

6 months ago

Encouragement for Those On The Path to Better Writing

So many writers get discouraged. This stinks. I quit. Others are overconfident. They've always had "a gift for words" so…

6 months ago

Not Selling Books? Did you do the Math?

You threw a grand party but nobody came. Your novel is so good but you're not selling books. What happened?…

6 months ago

The Grammar of Book Design

Are images analogous to words? Is what makes a sentence sound "right" the same thing that makes an image "pop"…

6 months ago

Writing is Design: Shy Away from Timid and Passive Writing

"Passive writing" refers to a specific set of grammatical circumstances where emphasis switches from subject to object. The money was…

6 months ago

Writing is Design: Boring Words & Generic Descriptions – Not Nice!

Generic descriptions are telltale signs of lazy writing. Add color to your writing by replacing overused and boring words. It's…

6 months ago

Writing is Design – Writing Dialogue: He Said. She Said.

Dialogue presents challenges for writers. Some prefer to simply declare what was “said.” Many authors feel that “said” is both…

6 months ago

Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 3

This third installment of Judging a Book by its Cover looks at great book cover designs that won the 2012…

6 months ago

Writing is Design: Avoid Bland Pronouns and Boring Verbs

As a graphic designer, I see numerous parallels between the values that create engaging imagery and the values that create…

6 months ago

Writing is Design: Eliminate THAT Fat From Your Writing

The word "that" is often abused. "That" is a perfectly useful pronoun but it's often the useless fat that slows…

6 months ago

Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 2

Part 1 of Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover critiqued "professional" covers taken from Amazon's Editor's choice…

6 months ago

Book Cover Typefaces and Cover Design Horror Stories

I recently responded to a question in a writers’ forum from an author who was in the process of designing…

6 months ago

Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by Its Cover – Part 1

Nothing screams “amateur” like a poorly crafted book cover. The standards for book design aspired to by trade publishers are…

6 months ago

Why You Need a Professional Editor

After completing the final draft of a manuscript for my fifth book, I wanted a reality check. I hired a…

6 months ago

Proposed Standards for Book Typography

The word processor has placed new burdens on writers to understand how to use italics, big and small capitals, dashes,…

6 months ago

Cliché-o-Meter

We all use clichés, often without realizing it—and there's a place for them. However, every cliché makes your words less…

10 months ago

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