Katharine's Writer's Block

September 8th is World Ampersand Day! This post is all about this writing mark: &   The ampersand is an English symbol that represents...

One of my aims with Writing Lessons & Advice is to give you plenty of direction on what to do  in and with your writing. In this post,...

Illustration from "Schoolhouse Rock" segment on verbs. Video clip in sources. The insights into living life are a dime a dozen: “We make...

It seems like every day can be a holiday and every month is one for some kind of recognition, remembrance, or awareness. Many are established by various organizations or special interests, so keeping up can be hard if you’re not affiliated or in-the-know in some way.  Similar organizations and interests of literary culture have managed to get their values recognized with their own various holidays and months. This Lessons & Advice post gives a rundown on several special times

Happy New Year! At the start or end of a year, we often like to take stock of our goals, accomplishments, or other accruements during our...

Have you ever been told to watch your tone during a conversation? A combination of your voice, emotions, and attitude may have gotten...

Sauces, spices, and seasonings contribute to the flavor of a lot of prepared food. Sometimes they define the entrée, like teriyaki...

This lesson will be running shortly before my second wedding anniversary!  In honor of another wonderful milestone, I’m again drawing...

A well-rounded story has characters, plot, setting, and theme. Without these, a story falls flat. Additionally, a story can be defined by...

Lately, I’ve been practicing cooking pancakes. I’ve learned that cooking them on my mini-griddle makes them really thick but not done in the middle. I get the slender size and circular shape that I like when I pour right into the middle of a hot, open skillet, but the batter has to be the right amount and consistency as well--not too little and not too runny. There’s a delicate balance to it. Writing with English vocabulary has a similar delicate balance. One wrong word can c