You’ve heard it before: Don’t use vague words. It make sense; being specific allow you to paint pictures, and using precise language builds trust. However, imprecise terms aren’t lazy phrases, they’re building blocks of structure… They permit us to discuss things and people without mentioning their names. “Anyone” and “somebody” weighs as much in the […]

The number of future-pointing sentences in any piece of writing reveal the nature of work: Is it deadline-based? Is it immediately urgent? Knowing this ratio can reveal momentum when drafting an outline or analyzing an essay. The balance between sentences looking back versus forward is slight, but crucial to clarity and pacing. Commonly, writers write […]

Tone is also visible in first person pronouns. First person pronouns function as camera angle of a piece of writing. Do they pull us into the writer’s experience, or do they keep us back, observing what happens from afar? Counting pronouns tell you how much of yourself you’re putting onto the page. That gives you […]

You know that sinking sensation when you are writing in present tense, but then you find half your page marked up with “tense?” queries from your editor. Everyone gets it. Write a book, film, or software review, and suddenly your brain slip back into the past because that’s how we tend to remember events. You […]