Just as you’d wear a straw-brimmed hat in the sunshine and a rain cap in the pouring rain, remember the importance of wearing two different hats when you’re writing versus editing your nonfiction book.

One hat […]

Ford is to automobile what Best is to tractors. Making Tracks: C.L. Best and the Caterpillar Tractor Co. is a complete picture of Clarence Leo Best and why he was driven to live up to his name–Best. Read a […]

June 1: National Say Something Nice Day. Make the day pleasant for someone today by saying something nice.

June 2: National Leave the Office Early Day. This day is an incentive to many who often work more than […]

[This is a revised and expanded version of the presentation I gave for STC Milwaukee in April 2008. Though intended for editors who do substantive editing, it offers useful guidance for writers who need to outline […]

You may mail an autographed copy of your published book to NAIWE headquarters to be read and reviewed by NAIWE staff. The review will be posted on NAIWE’s blog, as well as on NAIWE’s social media’s sites […]

Italian writer Carlo Collodi wrote the children’s novel The Adventures of Pinocchio in 1883. Pinocchio was a wooden puppet who wanted to become a real boy. Despite the efforts of his trusty conscience, The T […]

As you revise, proofread, and finalize what you’ve written, whack all the extra words you can to sharpen your message in compelling ways.

Watch for the following opportunities to take away the bumps so your w […]

Recently, I learned what a hot topic grammatical errors can be when one of my favorite blogs, Article Writing and Marketing Insights, from Ezine Articles, took a subject close to my heart and made it relevant to […]

Through a blog post, I recently asked what worries nonfiction authors about the editing process. The insights gained can be helpful to any editor as well as the authors they work with.

I received the following […]

When it comes to word choices and deciding what to use in your writing, check out these phrases from a book I’m editing:

. . . the answers that so-called geniuses like/such as Newton seem to embody.

. . . ce […]

Every practice has its tricks of the trade. In this week’s Word Tripper, the trick to knowing the difference between the homonym “breach” and “breech” is this: “Breach,” meaning to open by force or break an agre […]

Five Reasons to Tell Stories

To ensure what you have to say rings true universally—and that happens when you’re able to craft your story from a deeper place in your being
To get the opposite of calm […]

We wanted to get to know Ruth Thaler-Carter (NAIWE’s Networking Expert) better, so last month we sat down with her. Here is what she shared with us.

What do new and existing writing businesses have in co […]

In fiction writing, writers create the plot, develop the characters, design the storyline, and construct each scene. Writers have stories they want to share, but at least in the first few drafts, the writers are […]

As I was finalizing a manuscript I edited for a nonfiction author, I hired a proofreader to give it a final check. (I knew I’d read it too many times myself.) What she found humbled me. I thought I had a good h […]

The year is 2017, and a crisis of cata­strophic proportions is in the making. A conflict over oil has brought China and Japan to the brink of war — igniting a global chain reaction; the Saudi A […]

Today more than ever, the title of a book (and its cover) can have a bigger effect on the success of a book (or a brand) than almost anything else. In some cases, savvy publishers do little more than give an […]

May: National Get Caught Reading Month. Wherever you go, the campaign challenges you to get caught reading.

First Week in May: Small Business Week. Small businesses account for half of America’s workforce, and […]

A lot goes into launching a successful writing business, and networking can be one factor in that success. This post focuses on the networking aspect of your writing work.

Writers might not think of networking […]

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is a non-profit organization that inspires a culture of kindness in schools, homes, and communities. It encourages acts of kindness by providing resources to people who are […]