Maria Murnane News & Updates

Recent Updates

Examples of why it’s better to “show” than “tell” If you’re still puzzled by the concept of show vs. tell, you’re not alone. I think many authors tell too much because they...

Why it’s good to avoid adverbs One function of adverbs is to modify adjectives, in other words to describe something that already describes something. That alone should give...

Capitalization confusion Last week I read a novel that contained multiple capitalization errors. The book was published by a small press, which made me wonder how thorough...

Are you making this common mistake? We learn to speak before we learn to read and write, so when we begin to  put words onto a page it’s easy to confuse those that sound the...

What is the passive voice? Unless you’re a grammar nut like I am, chances are you’ve never heard the term “passive voice.” Here’s a quick explanation: Passive...

Watch out for repetitive descriptions in your writing In previous posts I’ve addressed my tendency to overuse certain words, phrases, or gestures, for example she bit her...

Hyphens are used to avoid ambiguity when two descriptive words are next to each other before a noun. (They are also used for compound words such as self-esteem.) For...

Do you know the difference between e.g. and i.e.? If your answer is no, or that you think you do but you’re not sure, you’re not alone. Here’s a quick refresher on how to use...

In previous posts I’ve discussed how useful beats (action) are to show your readers instead of telling them. I also advised against using beats too often because it can dilute...

When I was in high school, people used to say “laying out” when referring to catching rays at the pool or the beach. At the time I remember thinking they should have worn...

If there is one grammar term that I never understood until recently, it was “dangling participle.” Now that I finally know what it means, I thought I’d explain it...

Some words are hard to remember. I have to look up “supercilious” every time I come across it. Others are confusing. I still don’t get what “camp” means when used as an...