Should You End a Sentence With a Preposition?
In English grammar, a preposition is a word that typically comes before a noun or pronoun and expresses a relationship between that noun/pronoun and another word in the sentence. Prepositions indicate location, time, direction, manner, or other relationships. Here are … Continue reading
The Importance of the Topic Sentence
Writing is a form of communication. Its structure is linear, like a path. That means the reader intakes the first word, remembers it, and then intakes the next word. As the reader progresses through the words, sentences, and paragraphs, the … Continue reading
The Vexing Problem of Numbers – Advice From Thomas Hauck, Author and Ghostwriter
In the English language, we have an alphabet of twenty-six letters. We use these letters to form words and sentences. Each letter is unique; generally, for any given word formed of letters, you can’t substitute other letters without changing the … Continue reading
Verb Tenses: Simple Past and Past Perfect – By Thomas Hauck, Author and Editor
One of the useful tools that can help you tell your story–most often as a novelist, but sometimes as a self-help author–is that you can take the reader backwards and forwards in time. Nothing is quite so boring as simply … Continue reading
Citations in Self-Help Books – Advice from Thomas Hauck, Ghostwriter and Book Editor
I edit many self-help books. My clients – the wonderful and conscientious authors – often refer to other sources or discuss ideas that are circulating in society. They often ask me about citations. When should you give credit to another … Continue reading
Thomas Hauck, Editor: Capitalization of Job Titles and the “Janitor Rule”
I subscribe to the New Yorker. It’s a great magazine and I look forward to every issue. I’ve noticed, though, that they have a odd approach to capitalizing job titles, specifically that of the president of the United States. Let’s … Continue reading
Thomas Hauck, Editor: Verb Tenses and Describing the Past
When you write about events that happened in the past, the simplest way is to use what is appropriately called the simple past: A) Jack and Jill went up the hill. B) I gave her the message. The simple past … Continue reading
“That” or “Which”? Advice from Thomas Hauck, Ghostwriter and Book Editor
I’ve edited hundreds of books and documents, and one of the issues that drives writers crazy is trying to figure out when to use “that” or “which” when either is used to introduce a dependent clause that modifies a preceding … Continue reading
Book Editing: Changing the Voice of a Book or Document – Insight from Thomas Hauck, Book Editor and Ghostwriter
Occasionally, a client for whom I am editing a book will ask, “Does the book sound natural? Does it sound like a native English speaker writing in a conversational tone?” Often the clients who ask me this reside outside the … Continue reading
Quotes, Italics, Boldface, and Capitals – Advice from Thomas Hauck, Book Editor and Ghostwriter
Every writer wants his or her words to leap off the page. We all experience the anxiety that the reader will lose interest or will fail to grasp a particularly important point or word. And so many writers resort to … Continue reading