The Werd Nerd Blog

Dec 24, 20202 min read

The Em Dash — How and When to Use It

Em dashes are often used during an abrupt break in thought. If you read books — pretty much any books — you’ve seen them before.

Nov 2, 20202 min read

Sun-kissed mountains, ten-dollar bills, eleven-year-old daughter . . . What do these have in common?

A hyphen is needed between two words that function together as an adjective before the noun they describe.

Oct 29, 20202 min read

Dangling & Misplaced Modifiers

Dangling and misplaced modifiers. What exactly are they, and how do I avoid using them in my writing?

Oct 8, 20202 min read

How Many Spaces After End Punctuation?

Have you ever wondered why you see two spaces after a period in some instances while only one space is used in others?

Oct 1, 20201 min read

Hello October!

Oh Fall, how I've missed you. October is my favorite month with its autumnal colors found everywhere from deciduous trees to seasonal...

Sep 21, 20202 min read

Killing Your Darlings (Don't Panic!)

What this means is that anything unrelated to your story's overall plot needs to be revisited with unsentimental objectivity.

Sep 14, 20201 min read

Book Review: "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman’s writing style has a classy old-world feel to it.

Sep 7, 20201 min read

Trimming the Fat for Fiction Writers

Are you a writer who feels incredibly out of her depth? When a first-time writer gets close to completing her very first novel, the...