Grammar and Writing Advice

A plot skeleton can also be called a plot outline—the structure or bare bones of a story. How to write a successful plot outline that incorporates characters, plot, and climax is the subject of this podcast.

While The Comma-Part 1 looked at the basic meaning and rules behind the comma, this second instillation goes farther into addressing when to actually use this form of punctuation. By giving an explanation and examples of incorporating commas appropriately into writing such things as dates, titles, addresses, and coordinate adjectives, this podcast is beneficial to those wanting to learn how to communicate clearly through the proper use of the comma.

Technical writers have to be clear and concise to convey complex information to a general audience. If you want to learn more about how to write manuals, training material, or other documentation of a technical nature, then this podcast will be of use. Pointers, such as know your audience and inject some personality, are included in this podcast. These and other basic rules will help make you a good technical writer.

If you need some clarification on whether to use single or double quotation marks, this podcast is for you. Knowing the appropriate way to use these quotation marks is critical for clearly articulating what you want to say.

Formatting your report is one thing; writing it is another. This podcast provides ten key suggestions, such as to approach your document with as much professionalism as possible and begin each paragraph with a topic sentence. These tips will help you write a successful lab report.

How you format your lab report is important if you want your work to be organized and clear to readers. This podcast details how to format your report properly.

Are you in a science program that requires you to write lab reports or a scientific paper? If so, it is important for you to follow the correct citation style. This podcast details scientific citation styles.

A query letter is a way for you to attract the attention of an editor who may not otherwise read your unsolicited manuscript. Editors read query letters to find new content, and writing one that uses a business format can help. Of course, having a good hook is critical!

Press releases are important to any business that wishes to highlight company events. Such releases generate public interest and awareness of a business, product, and/or service. This podcast outlines how to write an effective press release.

If you have decided to write a preface or have been asked to write a forward, you may require some guidance. In this podcast, we explain a preface and a forward, as well as what to include in them.