Stop for a Spell
by Bobbie Christmas Q: Would it be alright to write an entire chapter about someone committing suicide? A: It would be fine to write a chapter that focuses on one…
Ask the Book Doctor
About Word Choices
by Bobbie Christmas Q: Is cell phone one word or two? A: Merriam-Webster, the standard reference for book publishers, lists it as two words, cell phone, with an acceptable variant…
Idioms or Clichés?
by Bobbie Christmas Creative writers know to avoid clichés, but how can we recognize a cliché? And what’s the difference between an idiom and a cliché? First, all idioms are…
Cultural Sensitivity Issues
by Bobbie Christmas Q: In light of racial and LGBTQ issues, various terminology is changing to more sensitive language, avoiding words and phrases such as master, grandfathered in, slave, etc.…
Manuscript Format Issues
by Bobbie Christmas Q: What format should I use to emphasize a word? Italics, underlining, bold text, ellipses? A: Before the advent of computers, way back when dinosaurs roamed the…
Cultural Points of View
by Bobbie Christmas Q: My fiancée thinks I should change my main character to a woman, because doing so would make my novel more marketable. What say you? A: Marketability…
Show Rather Than Tell
by Bobbie Christmas Q: I’m trying to grasp the concept that adverbs tell rather than show. I don’t quite understand what you mean. Will you explain “show rather than tell”…
Participles and Gerunds
by Bobbie Christmas Q: I’ve looked through all my grammar books and cannot find an explanation of why starting a sentence with a participle is a problem. I’m not talking…
Issues with Short Stories
by Bobbie Christmas Q: I tried writing novels, but I found I was better at writing shorter things. I wrote some short stories, but they all come out as if…
All About Blogs
by Bobbie Christmas Q: Maybe I’m too old to understand all this new technology, but what on earth is a blog? A: The term “blog” is a blend of the…