Em dashes—why writers should use them more sparingly.

According to the Associated Press Stylebook—Slate's bible for all things punctuation- and grammar-related—there are two main prose uses—the abrupt change and the series within a phrase—for the em dash. The guide does not explicitly say that writers can use the dash in lieu of properly crafting sentences, or instead of a comma or a parenthetical or a colon—and yet in practical usage, we do. A lot—or so I have observed lately. America's finest prose—in blogs, magazines, newspapers, or novels—is littered with so many dashes among the dots it's as if the language is signaling distress in Morse code.[more ...] Continue reading at 'Slate'

[ Slate | 2011-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]

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How A Comic Book Writer Helped Ghostface Killah Create His New Album

Most great hip-hop collaborations involve an MC and a producer. For 36 Seasons, Pretty Toney turned elsewhere.Last year, comic artist Matthew Rosenberg, a lifelong Wu-Tang Clan fan, sent off pitches to several rappers with ideas for album stories. When he got the call that rapper Ghostface... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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UK writers cheer as 'despicable' ban on sending books to prisons is lifted

J.K. Rowling, Philip Pullman, Julian Barnes, and others expressed delight when a high court in the United Kingdom struck down a ban on sending books to prisoners. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon goes head to head with Wattpad in battle for fanfic writers

The retail colossus is aiming to recruit fan fiction writers with their own ambitions to sell, but Wattpad is winning users who want to shareIt’s a cheerful orange giant stuffed with fan fiction and smileys which can garner a billion reads for an erotic One Direction story – scoring 25-year-old... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Animal Kingdom wins Educational Writers' Award

A book about animals illustrated with infographics has won the 2014 Educational Writers’ Award. The £2,000 prize was presented to Jon Richards and Ed Simkins for The World in Infographics: Animal Kingdom (Wayland) by Tristram Hunt, shadow secretary of state for education, at a ceremony... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Alice Lee, sister of 'To Kill A Mockingbird' writer Harper Lee, is mourned by fellow church members and friends

Alice Lee was a key figure in Marja Mills's recent bestseller 'The Mockingbird Next Door.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Educational Writers Awards 2014 shortlist revealed

Four “outstanding examples of non-fiction books” make up the shortlist for the 2014 Educational Writers’ Award. The award, run by the Authors Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) and the Society of Authors (SoA), celebrates educational writing that “inspires creativity and encourages... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jerry Jenkins Shuts Christian Writers Guild

Novelist Jerry Jenkins has shuttered the Christian Writers Guild, a writers education group he owns. Former CWG employees are gearing up to fill the void with a new company. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-11-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Unbound seeks to draw in more women writers

Crowdfunding publisher Unbound has launched Women in Print, a campaign to encourage more female writers to submit their ideas for books. Unbound has published 43 books, two magazines and a box set of photos to date, of which 32 were by male authors, 12 by female authors, and two by male and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Michael Bond: 'I'd hate another writer to use Paddington'

Michael Bond has taken legal advice on how to stop other authors writing about Paddington Bear after his death, according to the Times.   In an interview published in the newspaper on Saturday 1st November , Bond said he has already consulted a lawyer over how to protect his creation and that... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bursaries to bring writers and technologists together

Author support site The Writing Platform is encouraging writers and technologists to work together, with bursaries to fund new collaborative projects. Two bursaries of £4,000 each will be awarded to teams made up of one writer and one technologist, to fund a three month project. Teams can... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-11-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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First Editions, Annotated by Famous Writers, Up for Auction

The PEN American Center is putting 75 one-of-a-kind first editions, annotated by America's most famous authors and poets, on the block. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Writer scoops £10,000 book prize

Debut novelist Amy Mason, who dropped out of school at 16 and took up writing at 25, wins the Dundee International Book Prize. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2014-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Christian Fiction Writers Meet Amid Shrinkage, Growth

In a year in which four publishers closed, paused, or slimmed down their fiction lists, members of the American Christian Fiction Writers held their annual conference Sept. 25-27 in St. Louis to honor their best, talk shop, and see who was still standing, though all agreed there are still... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The latest message for female writers dont think, just spill | Hadley Freeman

Not That Kind of Girl is a reminder of the publishing obsession with women divulging their private livesA week or so ago, I went to LA to interview a ridiculously talented young woman. Despite being only in her 20s, she has achieved the kind of success that most people multiple times her age... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Discovering Writers in Sicily

For every 15 titles that Italian publishers import from the U.S., American publishers import one from Italy; a new program aims to change that. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Agatha Christie: What one writer discovered in her personal notebooks

Author John Curran discusses Christie's writing approach and her never-ending appeal. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Character Loses Battles, but the Writer’s Won the War 

In Moranthology, Caitlin Moran’s 2012 compendium of her decades of brash, personal columns for the British press, Moran jokes that as a teenage girl living in public housing in Wolverhampton, England, her career options were limited to “prostitution,” “working the checkout at the Gateway... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2014-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Man Booker Prize: Two American writers make the cut for the shortlist

In addition to the American contenders Karen Joy Fowler for 'We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves' and Joshua Ferris of 'To Rise Again at a Decent Hour,' other nominees include Richard Flanagan for 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' and Ali Smith for 'How to Be Both.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Central American Publishers, Writers to Appear at Frankfurt Book Fair

Publishers from Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica will attend the Frankfurt Book Fair's International Rights Directors Meeting for the first time to showcase regional talent. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-09-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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East African Writers Embrace Self-publishing and Promotion

Author Aleya Kassam explains how Kenyan writers are embracing the idea of branding and taking control of their careers. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-09-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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