Hyphens are frequently confused with dashes (like the em dash or en dash), and many writers struggle with remembering how to use them properly. Misuse of the hyphen (or any other punctuation mark) may seem like a minor mistake, but it can be a glaring error and even a...
The en dash (–) is the oft-overlooked punctuation that you probably didn’t know you should be using. Named for its size, it’s roughly the same width of the capital letter N. (Its sister, the em dash, is about the width of the capital letter M.) Although they look...
While there’s no replacement for a real live editor with a sharp eye, proofreading software can be a great first line of defense against common grammar and spelling errors. Whether you’re writing blog posts, news articles, novels, or just...
Nothing is quite as thrilling and terrifying as a good horror novel. But horror stories can be tricky to write well, since the reader must believe the story enough to be scared, disturbed, or disgusted. Before you submit your horror novel to literary agents or...
A great children’s book should do more than just entertain—it should teach, too. Children’s books may seem simple on the surface, but writing a good one can be surprisingly challenging. If you’ve written a children’s book and are looking for a...
Historical fiction is a special genre—it requires not only a vivid imagination, but also a lot of historical research. For a historical fiction book to be great, it must speak to the time period’s social norms, language, dress codes, and the greater historical...
