Painfully Funny Similes and Metaphors from High School Students
Back by popular demand: Our list of painfully funny metaphors and similes written by high school students.
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Posts Categorized: Writing
How to Dictate Blog Posts with Google Docs
If you always type or hand-write blog posts, try changing up your routine. Dictate posts with Google Docs voice typing tool.
This illustrated tutorial plus video will get you up and talking in 5 minutes or less.
Plus, you can sign up to receive a handy checklist that includes everything you need to do before publishing your next post. Yep, it’s free.
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11 Weak Words that Dilute Your Blog Post’s Impact
Are you guilty of using “throwaway” words in blog posts and social updates? I am.
This article + infographic identifies weak words and phrases and introduces an editing technique to help you eliminate them.
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Laura’s 12 Favorite Novels from 2015
We all know it’s important to balance work with play. My favorite leisure-time activity is reading novels.
In this post, I reveal the top 12 novels I read in 2015, and why I liked them. I’d love to hear what you read and loved!
[ Read more ]Why bother editing a blog post? After all, it’s ONLY a blog!
An aspiring author (who struggles to write a coherent sentence) was affronted when I suggested that it might be a good idea to seek a little editing help.
“Why do I need to edit my blog posts? It’s JUST a blog.”
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Turn your $16 book into a 6-figure business! Or not.
Some authors-turned-marketers prey on unsuspecting writers, promising they will reveal publishing “secrets” when writers sign up for their spendy online courses. Buyer beware.
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What is Your Least Favorite Euphemism?
I’m constantly on the lookout for euphemisms (yoo-fuh-miz-uhms): indirect, vague words and phrases that take the place of words/phrases thought to be too blunt, too harsh, or too politically incorrect.
I snapped this photo of Aspen Meadows Townhomes from my car while zooming south on I-5 (the West Coast’s major Interstate freeway that stretches from Canada to Mexico).
Aspen Meadows. Last time I checked, Aspen was a ski resort in Colorado. And meadows? I don’t think so. Not with the view of six lanes of I-5 30 feet from your front door.
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What’s a Seaplane Doing in the Middle of the Road?
“I can’t think of anything to write about.”
When I taught high school English, my students frequently moaned about the lack of interesting things to write about.
My standard response: I’d roll my eyes and challenge them to keep their eyes and ears open and to ask questions about everything they see and hear.
When I was driving near my home, I spotted the perfect story starter. I’ve never had to pull to the side of the road to make way for a seaplane. In fact, I’ve never seen a seaplane being towed down the highway!
This scene has the makings for a good mystery/suspense story or an intriguing blog post.
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‘The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage’ Updates Online-Related Terms
The New York Times has updated its Manual of Style and Usage.
Here are several changes they’ve made to online-related terms:
World Wide Web is now known as the web with a lowercase “w.” (Have you noticed that very few advertisements include “www” in front of a web address? Most of us know that the “www” is a given; when referring people to our websites, we just say, “Go to BloggingBistro.com.”
website is lowercase, one word.
Internet, however, is capitalized.
Email no longer uses a hyphen.
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Three Powerful Storytelling Methods to Improve Your Writing or Speaking
By Dennis Brooke
Guest Contributor
I was shocked to read about an archeological expedition that made an amazing discovery in a cave near the Sea of Galilee. They claimed to have uncovered evidence that Jesus had used charts written on large sheets of papyrus with elaborately colored pie charts. On these first-century graphics his disciples illustrated such concepts such as the relative importance of God’s love versus obeying the law.
Of course, I’m kidding. Jesus knew that the way to reach the hearts of those he created in his image was through stories. Even if his apostles had hauled around papyrus flip charts with bullet points and graphics they didn’t survive—but the teachings of Christ have lived on through memorable stories.
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