Bryan Collins's Blog, page 48

11 Great Short Stories You Must Read

If you are looking for great short stories, check out our list here! With short stories that fall into a variety of genres, there is something for everyone!

Growing up, you probably read your fill of short stories in English class during high school; however, with age comes perspective. You might enjoy reading these short stories now that they are no longer a homework assignment; however, if it has been a while since you last sat in the classroom, you might be wondering where to start.

For...

Exploring Stream of Consciousness Writing with Famous Examples

What do thoughts look like on paper? Stream of consciousness writing is a literary technique that explores that exact thought!

When writing a novel, you have a number of different narrative techniques to consider. stream of consciousness writing is one of them.

This technique gives the reader an idea of what is going on in the minds of the characters and the narrator. The stream of consciousness style can be quite effective at gaining the interest of the reader and making them engage with ...

15 Best Poetry Books for Modern Poetry Lovers

A poem resonates with the reader in a way that prose cannot, and lovers of poetry will want to add these 15 best poetry books to their libraries.

When Amanda Gorman took to the stage at the 2021 presidential inauguration, America set its sights on poetry once again. The dynamic, young American poet captured the fancy of the nation and brought renewed interest to the world of poetry. So what are the best poetry books to put on your Amazon wish list?

A book of poetry is different from a nove...

11 Allegory Examples from Great Literature

Allegory is a common literary device, and these 11 books, poems, and stories are great allegory examples.

Allegory is a literary device that uses a story to expound on a deeper meaning. Through allegory, authors can explore abstract ideas and break them down into understandable information.

If you can think of an allegory like an extended metaphor, you can better understand this literary term. A better way to understand allegory is to study famous works that are examples of this device.

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46 Great Essay Writing Topics for Students

Before you sit down to write, you need a topic, and these essay writing topics can help you get started.

Writing an essay is an important skill for high school and college students. Essays show a writer's ability to think through a topic, explore their point of view and persuade or inform others of that. Yet finding essay writing topics can feel vague. 

This list will help students find the right topic for a descriptive essay or argumentative essay. It outlines a number of hot topics that ...

Oral vs Verbal – Interchangeable or Not?

Oral vs verbal and be confusing, but these two words have slightly different nuances that are worth understanding.

The words oral vs verbal can be confusing for English writers. Both refer to spoken words and communication, and this can make it hard to know which one to choose. Is it an “oral exam” or a “verbal exam?”

These words are actually very similar and can sometimes be interchangeable. Skilled English writers understand how to choose the right word even in these cases where words ar...

Loose or Lose – Which Is Correct?

The words loose or lose are commonly confused, but learning which is correct will help you write stronger.

The words loose and lose have similar spelling, but they are not actually synonyms or homophones. They have different pronunciations and different parts of speech. When you get loose vs. lose mixed up, you look like a poor writer of the English language.

Yet this is also one of the more common mistakes in English writing. So before you write bout that loose tooth or lose tooth, make s...

Reign vs Rein: What’s The Difference Between These Homophones?

Because only one letter makes them different, but the meanings are quite different, reign vs rein can trip up writers. This guide will help.

Does a king reign or rein over his subjects? The addition of the letter g to these words significantly changes the meaning. Because reign and rein are homophones, getting the English spelling right can be hard.

Before you write about free reign or free rein, make sure you know which version of these two words to use. Studying the definitions, synonyms...

Hay vs Straw: Two Words That Are Not Interchangeable

To write about agriculture or gardening, you will need to know the difference between hay vs straw. 

If you spend much time in agriculture or writing about agriculture, you will come across the terms hay and straw. To the non-agriculturally-minded person, hay and straw appear to be the same thing, but they are actually different products. Understanding the difference between hay vs straw will help you use these terms properly.

This guide will discuss the difference between hay and straw, a...

Reticent vs Reluctant: An Interesting Look at the Evolution of Synonyms

Reticent vs reluctant trip up some writers because the two words are now used as synonyms when historically they were not.

The words reluctant and reticent have similar meanings in the English language, but they come from different roots. People sometimes confuse these two words. Historically they were not synonyms, but this has changed over time.

Taking a closer look at the Latin roots for reticent vs reluctant will help you learn to use these words correctly. This, in turn, will make you...