Rewriting: What to do when you have to rephrase someone else’s words
One of the things freelance writers are often called upon to do is rewriting. That is, they’re charged with finding new ways to present information that’s already been written about elsewhere – sometimes because the original format is not suited for the target audience and sometimes to avoid copyright infringement. This isn’t always easy. Sometimes, the source m...
September 19, 2019 READ MORE
12 Little-Known Punctuation Marks to Make Your Writing More Interesting
It is common knowledge that most sentences end with a period. We are all familiar with the often overused exclamation mark, and we all know that question marks help indicate that a phrase is interrogative. But, have you ever heard of an “interrobang?” How about a “certitude point?” This fascinating article from Readers Digest introduces 12 little-known punct...
June 4, 2019 READ MORE
While the finale of the Game of Thrones left many fans feeling upset and disappointed, there is one thing that we can all agree on: Ser Davos being dubbed “Master of Grammar” by Bronn was pure magic! As writers who are frequently accused of being “grammar police,” we found this title to be perfectly fitting. And, it turns out we are not the only ones. Ever s...
May 31, 2019 READ MORE
How to Successfully Self-Edit Your Nonfiction Book
Your book draft is finally finished! Congratulations! Give yourself a pat on the back and a much-needed break—at least for a few days, anyway. You accomplished something most people will never do! But the work isn’t over yet. It’s time to move on to the next stage of the process—the editing. What’s the difference between editing and proofrea...
May 30, 2019 READ MORE
Designing an Effective Editorial Calendar You Can Stick With – Part 2
In Part 1 of this blog, we shared some strategies and best practices for creating an editorial calendar that you’ll actually want to use. In this installment, we’ll continue the discussion by taking a look at some common stumbling blocks to avoid in the process. We’ve identified seven common pitfalls that can derail even the most carefully planned editorial calend...
May 10, 2019 READ MORE
Designing an Editorial Calendar You Can Actually Stick With – Part 1
Are you new to content creation? Having trouble keeping tabs on projects with multiple deadlines and lots of moving parts? Still looking for a good way to organize all your projects? Designing an easy-to-use, effective editorial calendar is the key to creating consistent, successful content for yourself, your business, or your clients. It might also be the key to keepin...
May 8, 2019 READ MORE
Copywriter Q&A: Jennifer DeLay Talks Cultural Differences and Editing Work By Non-Native Speakers
At The Writers For Hire (TWFH), our client base includes companies from all over the world. We love meeting and working with clients from other cultures – but collaborating on English-language writing projects with non-native speakers can definitely be challenging. In this installment of Copywriter Q&A, the talented, multilingual Jennifer DeLay explains how to ...
May 6, 2019 READ MORE
The Editor’s Guide to Capitalization after Colons
When it comes to proper punctuation and grammar, editors have a lot of rules to keep track of. And to make things even more challenging, the rules tend to change or differ, depending on which guide you are following. One rule that constantly comes into question is whether or not the word following a colon should be capitalized. Luckily, this happens to be something ...
March 4, 2019 READ MORE
Are There Any Synonyms for Synonym?
Whoever created the English language must have had a wicked sense of humor. Why else would they have used “monosyllabic” to describe a word with just one syllable? And why isn’t the word “long” actually long? Perhaps the most interesting of these questions is: Why are there no true synonyms for “synonym?” This great article from Mental Floss poses that...
February 28, 2019 READ MORE
Sans Forgetica: A Font To Help Readers Remember
As a general rule, we writers tend to favor fonts that are practical and easy to read. While Baskerville Old Face and Lucinda Calligraphy are fun, it is highly unlikely that you will ever see them printed in a book. But what if we are doing it all wrong? What if the “easy” fonts such as Arial and Times New Roman are actually TOO easy? Well, researchers at RMIT U...
January 28, 2019 READ MORE
