Editing Services and Writing Tips
The Truth Behind Four Common Obstacles
This post is for writers who haven’t been writing—especially those who haven’t worked on a passion project in months or years.
It turns out the obvious obstacles to writing aren’t all that they seem. And if we focus on these surface-level challenges, we can miss the deeper issues.
What do lists, “both…and” statements, and “either…or” phrases have in common?
1. When they’re written correctly, they’re all parallel constructions.
2. They’re often written incorrectly.
Parallel construction is key in clear, elegant, enjoyable prose. But our thoughts—and, by extension, our words—rarely spring into existence as well-balanced sentences with perfectly parallel structures.
So let’s talk about how you can identify and improve parallel construction in your writing. It helps if you’re comfortable with grammar lingo, but don’t worry; I include tips you can use even if you don’t have a mind for grammar-related vocabulary and rules.
I meant to start this blog three years ago. Then I fell into a trap I encourage other writers to escape: I thought that because I wasn’t ready to do everything needed to run a blog “right,” I couldn’t even start. I had this vague idea of the components required for a professional editor’s websiteContinue reading “Write before You’re Ready”
Words Unbound