Thinking about the active and passive voices
Even if you feel safer with the passive voice, consider how you might use the occasional active sentence to liven up your writing.
Finding your faults
When we edit, most of us simply read the text, line by line, correcting as we go. But it can be more effective to read for one kind of fault at a time.
The art and craft of editing
Use focussed tasks to turn editing from a fuzzy, depressing process into a proactive, task-based operation with clear goals.
Evidence for eyes and ears: teaching sentence style online
When re-designing workshops for online delivery, I try to exploit the auditory and visual potential of the platform to enhance what I’m communicating.
Stylish segues
To make your writing flow, take the outgoing idea from the end of a paragraph and show how it connects to the idea in the next one.
Parts of speech – the pictorial way
Here's an enjoyable way to learn how the different parts of speech affect your writing style.
Pruning versus felling
Sometimes you can selectively prune your writing, but sometimes you need to cut a whole section.
‘Find’ your tics
Use a checklist of your own bad writing habits to correct and improve your work.
Logical ligaments
Words such as ‘therefore’ and ‘however’ have a specific use - make sure you are using them correctly.