Italics: The Dos and Don’ts

I spend a lot of my editing hours at ProofreadingPal dealing with wayward italics, so…

Quick Guide to Colons and Semicolons

Let's talk about two marks that set off complementary information, phrases and clauses without which…

3 Steps to Good Description

Two schools of thought have helped define the English lit attitude toward writing description since…

Guidelines for Quoting and Paraphrasing Part II

In today’s post, I’ll look at three potentially problematic issues related to quoting and paraphrasing…

Guide to Commas, Dashes, and Parentheses

The problem with having so many choices in punctuation is that often even experienced writers…

Editing vs. Cheating

Hiring an editor isn’t about getting someone to write your paper for you, and an…

5 Tips for Writing a PhD Application

The most critical part of a PhD application is the research proposal and accompanying letter.…

How to Format Math and Equations

In a mathematical expression, numbers, variables, and operators act like the parts of speech. Numbers…

Guidelines for Quoting and Paraphrasing Sources in Your Writing

If you’re writing on a topic in literature, medicine, engineering, history, or anything else academic,…

How to Write Stock Characters: Good Villains

The audience must believe a villain would actually behave that way, which means understanding and…

The Optional Comma

The optional comma can go or not go somewhere depending on what you think works…

Mistakes New Fiction Writers Make: Dialogue

Using terms like "uttered," "exclaimed," or "interjected" can pull your reader out of the flow…

Nesting in Lists and Outlines

Let’s focus on the pre-writing phase of your project and how list making can be…

When Grammar Check Is Wrong

I’ve already talked about the limitations of spell check, but grammar check is actually a…

Guide to Style Guides

Students learn that in addition to effectively applying the rules of English grammar and usage…

3 Tips for Using a Thesaurus

When used correctly, a thesaurus can help you punch up your writing by using just…

Cheat Sheet for In-Text Citations by Style

In today’s post, I’ll explore the intersection of punctuation and in-text citations and the troubles…

Using MS Word Lists: Bullets & Numbers

All writing tools or techniques should help you express yourself more clearly. Lists can be…

How to Write Stock Characters: The Likeable Superman

Head Hopping: New Fiction Writers’ Mistakes

All too often, new fiction writers get excited by the different perspectives their characters have…