Bryan Collins's Blog, page 53

What Is a Ghostwriter?

Ghostwriters take on the task of getting stories or lessons down on paper when someone has an idea, but not the time or skill to write it.

Whether it's a self-help book or a celebrity memoir, there's a good chance that the person smiling from the front cover of that popular book did not write the words inside.

Many people who have stories to tell do not have the writing skill or the time needed to write a book. So, they turn to freelancers who can write their books for them. Many freelanc...

Day One Review: Is It Worth It?

Is the Day One journaling app worth your time and money? Let’s find out in this Day One review!

Good habits are hard to develop. I've been trying to build the habit of daily journaling for years now without any luck. Sometimes I'll tell myself I'm too busy or I don't feel like it. 

I know journaling is beneficial, but it's surprisingly difficult to stick to.

It reminds me of meditating. Who would think that sitting down for 5 minutes a day and doing nothing is so difficult?

However, ...

How to Use Grammarly In VSCode

Many coding platforms lack effective grammar and spell-checking programs. Here, you'll learn how to use Grammarly in VScode.

Grammarly and the Visual Studio Code are not compatible. If you are hoping to use a grammar checker with VSCode Grammarly does not work well. However, there are some workarounds to help you integrate the grammar checker with the coding platform.

Before taking a look at how to do this, first, you must understand VSCode and Grammarly, how they work and when you would u...

How to Find Beta Readers: A Practical Guide

Are you interested in getting beta readers to read your unpublished work but don’t know where to start? Learn everything in this beta reader guide.

The popularity of self-publishing has skyrocketed recently, and for good reason. You get to keep all the money you make, choose exactly how much to sell your book for, and there’s no deadlines to stress about.

Before the internet, authors could only dream about this luxury.

However, when self-publishing your book, you're responsible for ever...

Grammarly Free vs Premium: Which Is Best for You?

Are you thinking about using Grammarly? Learn more in this post and choose between the Grammarly Free Vs Premium version.

During the past few years, Grammarly has developed a reputation as being one of the best grammar checking tools available. This browser extension can work well with Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and more. 

Whether you use MS Word or are simply looking for something to help you as you write in your web browser, is the free version of Grammarly enough for you? Or, do yo...

Grammarly vs Outwrite: Which Writing Assistant Is Best?

Grammarly vs Outwrite – Which proofreader is worth investing your time and money in? Let's find out!

When I started my career as a freelance writer, I felt incredibly frustrated and anxious because whenever I’d post an article, readers would point out mistakes I missed. These mistakes were mainly spelling and readability issues and it made me feel insecure about my writing.

I’d read and watch several articles and videos covering how to improve my writing and editing skills. Even though I i...

How to Analyze a Poem: Step-by-Step

Poems can be beautiful and lyrical, with enchanting rhythm and imagery. But, to truly understand it, you need to learn how to analyze a poem.

Whether it's an assignment in an English class or a task you are taking on for your own pleasure, poetry analysis lets you get more out of each poem you read. Examine each element individually while studying line by line lets you break poems down to study their structure, language, and theme.

Elements to Consider When Studying a Poem

Each p...

Lying vs Laying: What’s the Difference?

Learn to tell the difference between lying vs laying in written and spoken English.

The verbs “lie” and “lay” are some of the most commonly misunderstood words in the English language. Though they have specific differences, writers and speakers often mistake them. When using the present participles specifically, which are lying and laying, the confusion becomes even greater.

If you are going to be a strong writer, you must understand the difference between lying vs laying. This guide will ...

What is a Possessive Pronoun? Explained

Are you wondering what is a possessive pronoun? This guide will set the record straight, so you can use these words properly every time.

A possessive pronoun is an English word that shows possession of an object. It is a special form of a personal pronoun designed to show the idea of possession.

Though possessive pronouns are not hard to understand, they do require a little bit of practice to get right. As you build your skills as a writer, here's what you need to know about these common w...

Leaped or Leapt: Choosing the Right Spelling

The words leaped or leapt are often confused, but they actually should not be. These are two spellings of the same English verb.

In the English language, there are many misused words that writers have to be careful about. For example, lay and lie are often misused, as are compliment and complement. The word leaped and leapt often leave writers scratching their heads, but these are far less confusing than other synonyms and homonyms.

Thankfully when deciding between leaped or leapt, you hav...