How To Teach Writing Students Not To Use Colloquial Diction

One of the worst problems plaguing high school writers is their misunderstanding that when writing a formal essay they must use formal diction.  It is probably one of the largest hurdles any writing teacher will have to vault their students over, and most times it feels like they are weighed down with years of being

Bad Writing Is…Bad Writing

I’m a big fan of the summer movies, but lately there have been some real stinkers coming out of Hollywood.  Many of the films released this year have been dead on arrival, garnering positive percentage ratings on Rotten Tomatoes (a site that aggregates all internet reviews) of less than 20%. Films like The Lone Ranger,

Vade Mecum: 6 Reference Books All Writers Need

Vade Mecum, Latin for “go with me” has come to mean any book kept constantly on hand.  I posted an article a few days ago about science fiction novels that every writer must read, but today I thought I would list five reference books absolutely necessary for success in the craft of writing.  These books