Writing Tips

Including Scripture in our writing is one of the practices that will strengthen our writing, while at the same time point others to Christ. Today let’s look at the mechanics of how to quote Scripture correctly. Quotation marks should begin and end your quoting of Scripture. The beginning quotation mark means this is where you…

The answer is yes! And today’s guest post is by someone who has done so. We welcome today’s guest blogger, Dr. Michelle Bengtson, who offers insights about both traditional publishing and self-publishing. Her unique books provide a faith-based and medical perspective on mental health disorders. Michelle, tell us about your books. My first book was…

Something magical happens when you see your words in print. You feel a mixture of emotions like no other. You might cry, feel exhilarated, and feel vulnerable, all at one time. At Next Step Coaching Services, we want to celebrate with you when your writing or speaking dreams come true, and we also want to…

Point of view in writing refers to who is telling the story and refers to that particular perspective. We identify point of view by the pronouns used. First, let’s look at the three points of view and corresponding pronouns. first-person singular – I, me, my first-person plural – we, us, our second-person singular and plural …

Sometimes it’s the simple things that make writing easier and make us happier writers. And if they’re free, that’s even better! I’m sharing a few simple writing tips this week. If you have any, no matter how simple, please share! Remove Double Spacing I took a typing class in high school—yes, that ages me!—where I…

After taking the summer off, I’m so excited to return to writing. As I sit to write this blog post, however, something happens: I feel stuck. Nothing comes to mind to write about. I am frustrated, but I’m pretty sure I know why I’m feeling this way: I’m doubting my ability as a writer. Do you…

Using correct punctuation establishes your professionalism as a writer. When you use correct punctuation, you look like you know what you’re doing and thus establish authority as a writer. In light of that let’s continue to look at some of the most common punctuation rules. Last week I showed you how to use a comma…

Knowing punctuation rules increases our confidence as writers. If you have a few punctuation rules in your pocket, ones that you’ll use constantly, you’ll feel more assurance as you write. I wrote a couple of posts on grammar rules we can break (click here and here), but when it comes to punctuation, we need to…

Some grammar rules can be broken (see last week’s post about grammar rules to break by clicking here). As writing has become more casual, some grammar rules have become somewhat outdated. As the writer, you determine what is the best style for your reader, casual or more formal. If casual, such as a blog post,…