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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Beyond cuts: the many roles of a writer's editor

Novelist Eleanor Catton and her editor Max Porter's alliance shows how much more than wielding a blade goes into this relationshipHenry James called editing "the butchers' trade". But he also said, "I glory in the piling up of complications of every sort," so you can see how the old anglophile... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-03-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ex-New York Times Writer Develops An App To Get Busy People Reading More

In Dickens's day, serialized novels were all the rage. Rooster aims to revive that trend, making it easier than ever to find good books (and the time to read them).In the age of abbrevs., sitting down to read a novel can feel like gearing up for a marathon, no matter how much you love books. The... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2014-03-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How to Research Like a Writer

How to fit real-life information into your story without sacrificing or slowing down the story. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Stine, Jones Win Horror Writers Association's Lifetime Achievement Award

Past winners include Stephen King, Anne Rice, Joyce Carol Oates, and Ray Bradbury. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Jack Higgins's name used by writer of 'erotic' ebooks

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[ The Guardian | 2014-02-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Julian Assange's ghost writer breaks silence on failed autobiography

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[ The Guardian | 2014-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Search For Talented Writers In The Prison System Is Changing It, Too

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[ Fast Company | 2014-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Beswick: 'no need to look to US for great writers'

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[ The Bookseller | 2014-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book the Writer service brings authors to book clubs – for a fee

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[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Is 2014 the year of the woman writer?

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[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Much Do Writers Earn? Less Than You Think

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Writers attack 'overrated' Anglo-American literature at Jaipur festival

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[ The Guardian | 2014-01-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Guardian | 2014-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scribd Responds to Writer Beware on Pirated Content

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-12-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Crime writers fundraise with OxCrimes

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[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Spare Rib contributors sought so editions can be digitised and saved

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[ The Guardian | 2013-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How publishing fiction online launched the career of this young writer | Beth Reeks

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[ The Guardian | 2013-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Science Fiction Bestows Freedom on North Korean Writers

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-12-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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