Home
Editor's Blog
Your Sample Edit
DIY Editing
Craft of Writing
Self Publishing
Resources and Gifts
Pesky Problems
Writing Contest
Free Courses
FAQ
Author Stories
Book Reviews
Articles on Writing
Meet Me
Site Map
Free Newsletter
Just for SBIers
Terms
Affiliate Program
YOUR Turn
Search This Site
For Editors

[?] Subscribe To This Site

XML RSS
Add to Google
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Subscribe with Bloglines

 

Get Help With Your Writing Problems

One writing problem is that writers almost only work alone. Sometimes we need help. Here's the place to get the help you need with your own writing problem.

Over the years I've answered many emails from writers with grammar questions. I've given advice about the writing process and about how to submit text to publishers. I've been happy to help.

But there's a big writing community out there in cyberspace, and now there is the software to help you connect with one another. This means that you can ask a question on this Web site and get an answer from many people instead of only from me.

Although anyone can submit a question or answer, I check everything that goes onto my Web site, so you can have confidence that any answer you get here, no matter who wrote the answer, is something I agree with. Of course, I may sometimes publish an incorrect answer, but if I do, I will also publish my own rebuttal.

So go ahead and ask your question. And when you are done, pay it forward by answering any questions you can. Together we will grow as writers.

Ask About Your Pesky Writing Problem

Go ahead and post your pesky writing problem.


If possible, give examples. This will help others to give you the best possible answer.

Give Your Pesky Writing Problem An Engaging Title

Enter Your Pesky Writing Problem [ ? ]

Author Information (optional)

To receive credit as the author, enter your information below.

Your Name

(first or full name)

Your Location

(ex. City, State, Country)

Submit Your Contribution

Check box to agree to these submission guidelines.


(You can preview and edit on the next page)

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

line spacing  When I go to format, to set up my page, I can't seem to get the right line spacing on each page the same. I'm trying for 24 lines, but sometimes I get ...

Index  Where do indexes go? Front or back at the end of a book?

Problem in using the definite article  Hi,
I'm not a native English speaker; therefore, I always have problem correctly using the definite article "the" in my sentences. Can you please provide ...

If I change my name, is it still my memoir?  Dear Audrey,

can I write a memoir and change everyone's name, including my own? Or would it have to become fiction at this point, and have to follow ...

Do I need permission to use a friend's name in my autobiography?  In my autobiography I am telling about my experience of attending seminary and the friend's I acquired during that experience. What I need to know: "do ...

Can first and third person live together?  Dear Audrey,

If I'm writing in first person, can I write my second POV character in third person?

Thank you,
Jacqueline

Is it yesterday's, or the previous day's trousers?  Is it grammatically correct to use yesterday in the following context? Thank you.

I walked up the stone staircase wearing yesterday's blue trousers....

great starts,...so I thought!?!?  I'm brainstorming content pages for my SiteSell site without any sort of control for making progress.

I have counted ten notebooks filled with fleeting ...

Dysfunctional Characters Become One Happy Family  Cannot seem to connect my characters even though they are all deeply involved.

Quoting thoughts  Would thoughts ever qualify as quotes?
Example 1) I was thinking of going to the mall.
Example 2) I was thinking, "Should I go to the mall?"

Beginning sentences with pronouns  The title is a bit misleading but I couldn't think of what to call this problem. I'm writing an action story and end up saying "He did this. She did that....

How can I hammer by grammar?  I've been told I write fairly well. However, no one tells you when you've misplaced a comma or that your sentence needs a little more structure. I'm not ...

what is the meaning of the phrase  what is the difference between concerned department and department concerned

A twilight rip-off?  I'm only twelve years old and have started writing a 5 book series about teenaged wizards. The main character Nessa, short for Jenessa, moves back to ...

Weak your story is weak?  Please could you tell me what does a weak story mean.I have written a children's story and have had it returned because it was "to weak?".Help

Should I use acronyms?  Some acronyms seem to be accepted - almost everyone would use '5,000 tons of TNT' rather than '5,000 tons of trinitrotoluene'. How about others though?...

I am a young aspiring novelist and I am a bit scared...  Hello. My name is Nathan Zhang. I write for a blog, and I am a young aspiring novelist, which is what I have been since eight. I want to write a novel ...

Pesky writing problem...  Hi So on your writer's help page you used the example of the incorrectly written sentence,"Patting the baby's back, she burped." (When written this way,...

Copying is not my thing  Hi. I am currently try to write a vampire story, but when I look back at it, it looks a lot like the Twilight series. How can I make it my own thing without ...

Marketing Professionals - query.   1. Writing and Publication done - Days of Elijah ISBN 97809556248 03.

2. Does anyone know of MARKETING professionals who work for [percentage of ...

Editor's Note versus Editorial  Should an Editor's Note be brief as opposed to an Editorial? Which is more comprehensive between the two?

Is there really a difference between the two?...

Whether to use rather or whether, that is the question  These definitions still leave me confused.

Whether-(pronoun) used in expressing a choice or alternative.


Rather-(adverb) more willingly, more ...

Gerunds and possessives  I was wondering if you had a catchy and simple explanation for the grammatical rule about gerunds and possessives? I understand the rule and use it in ...

An evil villain-worthy motive  I was doing a whole bunch of plans for my story when decided I needed to give my bad guy an evil plan. All I needed for him to do was be evil enough to ...

To use your "Do's or Dont's"  Is it appropriate to use such words as don't, won't in manuscripts or should one rely on the two word useage?

Tom won't be in school today as he has ...

Punctuation  to say: I wish I was going to the party, sounds like everyday language, but in reality it is not correct, I think. It should always be I wish I were... If ...

dialogue transition?  I was informed that my writing should have more action words/sentences around them to make the dialog "more alive."

Here is a sample of my text:

"That'...

Peer Writing Help or S.O.S  That the writers nearly always work alone, it's just right. In my case and probably others the reason is COST. To get professional advice and/or help it ...


footer for writing problems page