Author: Michelle Troutman

1. You can’t write your way out of a paper bag — you literally can’t write a complete sentence to save your life. 🙂 A writing consultant can coach you on what you need to improve.

2. You have the map, but you need the directions. You may know what you want to write, but not how to get started. That’s OK. Not everyone is born with a sense of navigation; it doesn’t always come naturally. A consultant can guide you.

3. Plain English is like a foreign language to you. Someone needs a jargon translator to understand your writing. No matter how you say it, it still comes out like you’re speaking business-ese. Don’t worry. A consultant can help you use simpler words and sentences.

4. You just don’t have the time to organize your writing. You struggle with putting your words together in a way that satisfies you. Your writing consultant can advise you on how to make your writing flow and sound like you.

5. You can’t focus on writing. You just have too many distractions — your smartphone, social media, or random work tasks — and can’t sit down to scribble some content. A consultant can help you focus all the way to the finish line.

Need help? Find out more about how a Classy Writing consultation will keep you on your toes while you polish your prose.

Quotes

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” ~ Ben Franklin

“If we are not willing to fail we will never accomplish anything. All creative acts involve the risk of failure.” ~ Madeleine L’Engle

Comments? Suggestions? Need help? Feel free to contact me.

Michelle Troutman
classywriting.com

1. Remember that not every “s” needs an apostrophe. Don’t add them to every noun in plural form. Use apostrophes only when the “s” in an object is in a possessive form or shows ownership.

Example: “John’s notebook.”

Personal pronouns, such as “its,” are an exception to this rule.

Example: “The cat cleaned itself with its paws.”

2. Use apostrophes in contractions. Besides words in the possessive form, apostrophes are used in words that form contractions to show missing letters.

Example: “it’s,” but not “its,” for “it is.”

Another way to remember is through the phrase, “It’s an apostrophe.”

3. Apostrophe style. How we use apostrophes is sometimes a matter of style, such as when writing letters or numerals in plural form.

Examples: 1900’s, ABC’s

To avoid confusion or doubt about issues of ownership or possessiveness, however, it can be best to leave them out: 1900s, ABCs

4. Watch for possessive plural nouns. Nouns in the plural form (more than one) can be trickier. You add an apostrophe after the “s.”

Example: The boys’ locker room is closed.

5. Don’t get possessive with pronouns. You don’t need to place apostrophes in these possessive pronouns: hers, his, yours, ours, theirs, its, or whose.

Need help with your writing? Contact me today!

Quotes

“There was never a golden age in which the rules for the use of the possessive apostrophe in English were clear-cut and known, understood, and followed by most educated people.” ~ Tom McArthur, The Oxford Companion to the English Language

“To those who care about punctuation, a sentence such as ‘Thank God its Friday’ (without the apostrophe) rouses feelings not only of despair but of violence. The confusion of the possessive ‘its’ (no apostrophe) with the contractive ‘it’s’ (with apostrophe) is an unequivocal signal of illiteracy and sets off a Pavlovian ‘kill’ response in the average stickler.” ~ Lynne Truss, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation

Comments? Suggestions? Feel free to contact me.

Michelle Troutman
classywriting.com

1. Comma splices. These happen when a comma is placed between two separate clauses.

Example: You’ve read the book, now see the movie.
Revised: You’ve read the book; now see the movie.

2. Apostrophe abuse. This occurs when apostrophes appear in words that shouldn’t have them or certain words lack apostrophes when they’re necessary.

Example: Its a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

3. Wordiness. Sentences with too many words, especially those that could be simplified, lack impact.

Example: “I hope your year has been as good as ours up to now and that you’re enjoying the beautiful summer weather we’ve been having.”
Revised: “I hope your year so far has been as good as ours and that you’re enjoying the beautiful summer weather.”

4. The passive voice. Passive verbs, those in “to be” form, tend to weaken sentences compared to active verbs. You can’t always avoid them, especially if you don’t know who did (or will do) something.

Example: “Your landscape plan determines how you want your lawn and garden to be designed.”

In this case, if the document isn’t specifically addressed to the do-it-yourselfer, the passive voice is a shortcut around whether the reader will handle the details him or herself or choose a professional.

Otherwise, if you know who will tackle the task, you can change it to: “Your landscape plan determines how you want to design your lawn and garden.”

5. Wrong tense. Don’t mistake the present for the future tense.

Example: We will be collecting litter at Evergreen Park on Saturday.
Revised: We will collect litter at Evergreen Park on Saturday.

The present tense — “we will be collecting” — is incorrect. Remove “be” and change the action verb “collect” to the future tense, which is correct because the event will occur later.

Here’s the original article.  Need help with your writing? Contact me today!

Quotes

“Rereading reveals rubbish and redundance.” ~ Duane Alan Hahn

“The time to begin an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction.  By that time, you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is you really want to say.” ~ Mark Twain

Comments? Suggestions? Need help with your press release? Feel free to contact me.

Michelle Troutman
classywriting.com