Lies! They're All Lies!!

Everything your seventh grade English teacher told you is wrong.

I still remember Mrs. Shipley standing in front of the class on the first day of school, chalk to the chalkboard.

Thought bubble: If you’re as old as me, do you remember that dull, powdery smell when you hit the chalkboard erasers together? It could literally take your breath away. And the sound of fingernails on the chalkboard—even thinking about it gives me the chills. But I digress...

“Class,” she began as she scribbled on the chalkboard. 

“Your papers will be marked down if you include any of the following.”

I grabbed my number 2 pencil and my Big Chief notepad out of my Pee Chee folder and began taking copious notes.

“There will be no contractions in your papers,” she said as she wrote “No contractions” on the board.  

"It’s ‘do not” rather than ‘don’t.’ It’s ‘will not’ rather than ‘won’t.’ You may use contractions in everyday conversation, but not in your papers.

“Is that clear?”

"Yes," we all replied as we nodded our heads in dutiful obedience.

“Furthermore, never, ever begin your sentence with the word ‘and,’ ‘but’ or ‘because.’ 

She wrote the three words on the chalkboard and then drew a line through them. 

"‘And’ is a conjunction which joins two or more words, phrases, and clauses of equal grammatical importance. ‘And’ simply cannot function on its own. ‘But’ and ‘because’ operate in a similar fashion.

“Every sentence must have a subject, an object, and a verb. No fragments.”

Obviously, she couldn’t talk without using one. 

“Finally, a paragraph should include your entire central idea or topic. When you move on to the next topic, you may begin your next paragraph. Even if your paragraph is inordinately long, that’s okay.”

Know what happens to your writing when you follow Mrs. Shipley's instructions?

Please join me…

Welcome to the Power Writers Report, our weekly update, packed full of powerful writing tips, productivity tools, platform-building strategies, author best practices, resources, and free stuff. 

If you find this useful, forward it to a friend.

Click here to subscribe to the weekly Power Writers Report.

Click here to schedule an author strategy session with me.

Mrs. Shipley Was DEAD Wrong

Have you ever read a manuscript that was technically correct, but completely devoid of life? It followed Mrs. Shipley’s instructions to a “T” but it deserved to be buried six feet under because it was nothing more than a corpse.

I’m sure you don’t want that to be true of your writing. I certainly don’t.

Readers want to experience your manuscript. They want to catch a scent of the flowers you’re describing. Taste the coffee you’re drinking. They want their hearts to pound as you pick up the pace in your story.

More than ever, readers are looking for an immersive experience when they read your book.

So how do you write for the reader experience?

Come to the October 7 Illumify Writers Conference and find out.

This is the second of ten strategies (and a bonus strategy!) we’ll be covering during our fast-paced time together: Strategy #2: Write for the Reader Experience with Karen Bouchard.

Click here for more information

Learn how to incorporate dialogue, rhythm, pacing, formatting, and more into your writing so your reader experiences your writing.

It’s something you’d never hear from Mrs. Shipley. And that’s a good thing!

But it's something you'll only hear at the Illumify conference.

From Manuscript to Market: 

Ten Cutting Edge Strategies for Today’s Authors

October 7, 2023

Reel Factory Events Center in Littleton, CO

Click here for more information

This event is only offered live and in person

Be Like Rick and Paul! 

Recently, we launched the books of two more authors...

Rick Ellsmore, author of Dancing DNA

Paul Schmidt, author of Elysian Hills

Do you see the smile on those faces? There's nothing as exhilarating as holding your book in your hands.

Congratulations, Rick and Paul, on a job well done!

That smile could be yours, as well. Click here to set up a free consultation with me next week and let's explore the possibilities of your book together.

Let’s bring your book to life!