Don’t write mindless sentences: Strive to avoid the passive voice whenever possible.
Photo by Lindsey Turner (Flickr)

In the field of freelance writing (and writing in general), the 98-pound weakling of sentences is the one written in passive voice. It’s a wimp, a sentence in which the subject doesn’t want to step up and take responsibility for its action. Consider this sentence:

“The last ice cream sandwich was eaten earlier today.”

Sure, this is an informative sentence if I’m headed toward the freezer (and disappointment) looking for a snack. But it’s passive, an indirect and more wordy way of stating this fact. It also leaves out the subject that did the action: Who ate the last ice cream sandwich? I might want to go tell them to save me one next time, but I can’t do that if the only information I have is this passive-voice sentence. Read more ›

When you ramble on too long about a topic, sometimes, the reader just won’t keep reading.
Photo by RobertG NL (Flickr)

Ever see someone comment under a post with “TL;DR”? These spammy comments pervade the Internet. The only thing more annoying than seeing a “TL;DR” comment in your feed is to see the ridiculous and out-of-fashion “First!” The comment simply conveys that instead of staying to read your meticulously written and well-thought-out piece, the audience member (usually a Reddit lurker hopped up on Monster energy drinks) thought that your article was too long to read, too verbose, too detailed to spend time actually reading it. Perhaps you’ve been pelted with this odd, rude, and unhelpful phrase. Here’s the thing:

TL;DR has absolutely nothing to do with length. Read more ›

Don’t rely on your spell-checker to catch everything for you: Give your copy a second read!
Photo by Michael Mandiberg (Flickr)

Sometimes, when they’re rushed, writers don’t proofread. In some instances, we simply forget. However, relying exclusively on a word processor’s spell-checker is a dangerous game. Here are seven reasons why proofreading is so important and seven mistakes that spell-checkers usually won’t find:

Misused Words

Is it supposed to be “affect” or “effect”? Should you be using “lead” or “led”? Is the museum “historic” or “historical”? Are you “ensuring” someone’s safety or “insuring” someone’s apartment? It’s important to have a grasp on which words are appropriate. Check out some of Mindy’s blog posts for more articles about misused words.  Read more ›