Writing Tips
On my Writing Tips Blog I offer writing tips and encouragement as we journey together in our writing ministry. (I blogged previously at Next Step Coaching Services with Amy Carroll.)
I love to partner with writers of all abilities to help make their dreams come true! Find more about this and under the Writing Coaching section of my website.
When you sign up for my Writing Tips Blog, you’ll receive
FREE WITH YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS
- writing tips on punctuation and grammar
- teaching about organizing and developing your manuscript, no matter what size
- encouragement for the tough days, when you’re doubting your ability and calling
- guidelines for how to use Scripture in your writing
Latest Writing Tips
Where Do I Put the Comma?
After writing a blog post last month about commas, I discovered many of you get as excited about punctuation rules as I do! It’s so important for professionalism to have a completely error-free, or “clean,” manuscript, and that includes making sure your punctuation is correct. So let’s look at some more comma rules. The serial…
Does this sentence need a comma?
You want a “clean,” error-free manuscript. And one step towards that is to check your punctuation. Today let’s learn a few rules about commas. Places you need a comma: After a short prepositional phrase at beginning of sentence So what’s a prepositional phrase? It’s a phrase that begins with a preposition, and a preposition is…
How Do Key Words Create Focus?
We learned in my last blog post one of the qualities of good, nonfiction Christian writing is focus. Focus is accomplished when our book title, subtitle, chapter titles, and chapter summaries are aimed toward one main point, like arrows flying toward a bullseye on a target. Another way to create focus in your writing is…
Want to grow as a writer and communicator? Attend She Speaks Conference!
One of the best ways to grow as a writer and communicator? Attend a Conference! Proverbs 31 Ministries’ She Speaks Conference is coming up this summer, July 13th-14th. You’ll be able to attend virtually, and a small number of seats will be available in person in Charlotte, NC. I got my start as a speaker…
What Makes Nonfiction Writing Good? Focus
One of the main things I look for when I am copyediting and/or manuscript development editing, is this: focus. What do I mean by focus? Focus means your words have a target, and that target is the main paint of your book and your chapters. Focus is one of the main elements of good writing….
What’s Your Heart’s Desire?
Hi friends, So many of you are my followers through my Melanie S. Chitwood Writing Tips Blog. Some of you are followers of My Doing the Best I Can Blog. Thank you for following and welcome! Today’s message will be for both of groups. So it’s the new year, when we’re supposed to make new…
SALE on my writing coaching and editing services!
I’ve extended my sale TILL JANUARY 31, 2023! Do you want to gain momentum on your writing project and complete your manuscript? Now is the perfect time to commit to your writing goals, as my writing services are on sale! Sale on Writing Consultation Services For consulting, my sale price is $75/hour (instead of my…
Unexpected Places of Hard Things
Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for being a follower of my Writing Tips Blog and/or my Doing the Best We Can Blog. You haven’t heard from me in a bit. Because you are my friends and followers, I want to be transparent with you. I am in the unexpected hard place of going through a divorce,…