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The Picky Pen

The Picky Pen
Considering Word Choice

Previously, we talked about the need to vary sentence structure to keep your writing from sounding repetitive. In that…
October 22, 2024
The Picky Pen
Use of Transition Words or Phrases

Do all of your sentences sound similar, or are you having difficulty transitioning from one scene to the next?…
August 22, 2024
The Picky Pen
How to Edit Characters

As we continue this editing series how we can develop a great story, I hope you’re able to see…
January 22, 2021
The Picky Pen
How to Edit Setting

As we continue this editing series how we can develop a great story, I hope you’re able to see…
May 24, 2020
The Picky Pen
How to Edit Scenes

As we continue this editing series how we can develop a great story, I hope you’re able to see…
April 22, 2020
The Picky Pen
How to Edit Point of View

As we continue this editing series how we can develop a great story, I hope you’re able to see…
March 22, 2020
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How to Edit the Plot

As we continue this editing series how we can develop a great story by having all the layers in…
February 22, 2020
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How to Find the Felt Need

This is the first post in my editing series in 2020 for how to develop a great story by…
January 22, 2020
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Punctuation Series: How to Edit Commas with Clauses

In light of the holiday season, here’s a final fun topic in our Punctuation Series: editing commas within independent…
December 22, 2019
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Punctuation Series: How to Edit Foreign Quotation Marks

Have you ever tried to read a book in a foreign language? Perhaps some of you have. I’ve tried…
November 22, 2019
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Punctuation Series: How to Edit Slashes

We’re toward the end of our self-editing blog post punctuation series, but it certainly is not the end of…
October 22, 2019
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Punctuation Series: How to Edit Parentheses

Here we are, nearly at the end of our year-long punctuation/grammar series. I hope you’ve learned a lot and…
September 22, 2019
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: How to Edit Hyphens

In the world of grammar and punctuation, there are three types of dash (hyphen, en dash, and em dash).…
August 22, 2019
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: How to Edit the Em Dash

In the world of grammar and punctuation, there are three types of dash (hyphen, en dash, and em dash).…
July 22, 2019
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: How to Edit En Dashes

In the world of grammar and punctuation, there are three types of dash (hyphen, en dash, and em dash).…
June 22, 2019
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Punctuation Series: How to Edit Lists

Presentation is everything, especially when it comes to the publishing world. And your presentation of punctuation is crucial to…
May 22, 2019
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: How to Edit Punctuation Marks

Presentation is everything, especially when it comes to the publishing world. And your presentation of punctuation is crucial to…
April 22, 2019
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: How to Edit Modifiers

Presentation is everything, especially when it comes to the publishing world. And your presentation of punctuation is crucial to…
March 22, 2019
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: How to Capitalize Tricky Words

Presentation is everything, especially when it comes to the publishing world. And your presentation of punctuation is crucial to…
February 22, 2019
The Picky Pen
Punctuation Series: Four Ways to Edit Commas

Presentation is everything, especially when it comes to the publishing world. And your presentation of punctuation is crucial to…
January 22, 2019
The Picky Pen
How to Edit Your Character

We’re heading into a New Year. Perhaps you’ve finished a novel during Nanowrimo. Maybe you’re plotting a new story…
December 22, 2018
The Picky Pen
Five Ways to Edit Dialogue

When thinking about the dialogue in our story, whether fiction or nonfiction, we must consider perspective. With each story,…
November 22, 2018
The Picky Pen
How to Take an Editing Break

In light of conference season coming to a close, I thought I’d take a moment and deviate from my…
October 22, 2018
The Picky Pen
Editing Like a Director

Hello! How’s your editing been going for you? I hope you’re seeing great improvement, but if you’re at a…
September 22, 2018
The Picky Pen
How to Think Like an Editor Part 2

Writing is a funny art because agents and editors (freelance and publishing house) tell us to write, write, write…
August 22, 2018