It's no one's place to say what constitutes as "bad" writing for anyone other than themselves. There are pieces of writing that can...

I would only order coffee under one of two circumstances. If C-- had arrived early and I'd seen her at a table, my first destination...

In last week's Purposeful Prose post, I discussed the ways in which people value representations that they can impress some kind of...

In writing, there are always options. While writing often needs to be evaluated to a standard, a style guide, a syllabus, a list of...

"Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: HUMANS and MONSTERS. One day, war broke out between the two races. After a long battle, the humans...

There's a reason why I call my site and blog "Purposeful Prose." Every part of every text I work with carries purpose, and a part of my...

This conversation is the second part of my discussion with my wonderful colleague, Cate Otto. Together, we both chose passages that stand...

Asking Google, "Who invented the circular saw?" will yield Edmond Michel, and while he was credited with the development of a circular...

It's easy to say that we don't need to understand the way a person identifies, that it's better just to accept it. Abiding by that...

It makes sense that large companies set aside funds for advertising. Company ads don't have to be good to be noticed. They just have to...

I take issue with writer's block being treated like a disease unto itself, and my reason for coming to this conclusion can be...

Writing needs to make sense. Sometimes, whether intentional or otherwise, a sentence that seems to have one meaning can turn into a joke...

Anything can be discussed in therapy. A session revolves around the participant and what they want to discuss that day. A discussion with...

Sometimes, writers come to me with projects that they initially thought were going to be easy. When they're introducing their piece to...

Content Warning: I am not a mental health or medical professional of any kind. The content given in this article contains mention and...

As an editor, when I see "in fact," I usually get rid of it. I'm not opposed to passive voice and I'm very lenient with a lot of...

It's common for writers to develop rituals in preparing for, executing, and finishing a piece of writing. For some writers, those rituals...

Understanding what to do can help someone to adopt a habit and memorize a pattern of actions. The "why" goes a step further and gives the...

"Good" writers are not made. They must choose to make themselves, to practice, to learn, and to develop their skills using the most...

I recently had the honor and pleasure of interviewing Gabriël Oosthuizen, a fiction writer from Cape Town, South Africa. While his focus...