On Writing SchoolPatrickFictionWritingHave you ever been tempted to enroll in one of those writing classes you've seen advertised? If you pick up...
The WriterPatrickWritingI started my AOL writing journal (whose contents have since been merged here) when I joined the writing group, "What...
Politically Correct Punch?PatrickAdvertisingGrammarLanguageI wonder if anyone else has noted the subtle edit made recently in a Kool-Aid commercial. The spot in question,...
A Few Weird WordsPatrickGrammarLanguageIn this week's edition of the "Saturday Six," (see last post) I asked which of five words looked interesting enough...
A Grammar ChallengePatrickGrammarLanguageLarry of "Larry's Blog" left me with a grammatical challenge. He asked what words like "bow," which have two different...
A Grammar IssuePatrickGrammarPet PeevesI was always involved in my high school newspaper. It wasn't really part of my wanting to work in television,...
No Bad Writing Goes Unrewarded!PatrickFictionHumorWritingEach year, the English Department at San Jose State University honors the memory of Victorian novelist Edward George Earl Bulwer-Lytton,...
Ten Words That Need to Go Away!!PatrickGrammarLanguagePet Peeves1. "Bling-bling" - It's not really a word; it sounds more like something a three-year-old might say when she really...
GrammarA ‘Thing’ About VerbsPatrickGrammarJournalismPet PeevesHere's a story that I wish was an April Fool's Day joke! Warren St. John reports in the New York...
Leading Lame LinesPatrickGrammarLanguagePet PeevesPlain English supporters around the world have voted "At the end of the day" as the most irritating phrase in...
Stupid Online AbbreviationsPatrickGrammarLanguagePet PeevesThe WebIt's a little ironic that the Internet, the ultimate achievement of the information age, which has caused old-fashioned printed Encyclopedias...
GrammarAnnoying Things TV People SayPatrickGrammarJournalismLanguagePet PeevesEvery now and then, things I hear in TV news really make me cringe. I try to stay as grammatically...