Online Course Lady: Writing Laboratory

Writing something long is easy; writing something short is hard. Below is a list of strategies you can use to reduce your word count while m...

The word "seem" can be very useful when you want to distinguish between appearances and reality. Often, however, the word "se...

Sometimes the pronoun “it” does important work in a sentence, acting as a true pronoun by standing in for another noun. Sometimes, however, ...

Direct statements are more vivid than indirect statements. So, be direct! Use quoted speech and quoted thoughts whenever you can. Depending ...

To find weak spots in your writing, look for forms of the verb "to be" (is, are, was, were) used with adjectives or abstract nouns...

Linguists use the word "inchoative"  for verbs that express the start of an action. In some languages, each verb might have a spec...

Let's be honest: adjectives like "interesting" and "unique" are a waste of space. They convey no useful information ...

At the bottom of this post, there is a chart of "Inflated Versus Concise" phrases. If you eliminate inflated phrases like these fr...

If you use active verbs instead of passive, you can trim your word count and make your writing more powerful. First, review the basics of Ac...

If you want your readers to trust you as a writer, you need to earn their trust. If you doubt yourself, however, your readers will also doub...