Bryan Collins's Blog, page 72

Grammarly Business Review: Do You Need It?

This Grammarly Business review explains why it's a good grammar checker and plagiarism checker with many use cases for small businesses.

Grammarly recently released a business version of its popular plagiarism and grammar checker. I road-tested it for several months with an editor, virtual assistant and several writers. 

In this review, I'll explain who it's for and how your business can use it.

Grammarly is a powerful grammar checker that works on almost all of your devices. It will he...

30 Surprising Spelling Rules Every Writer Must Know

For many American students, spelling is a challenging academic subject.

Without the right spelling strategies, learning to spell requires hours of memorizing lists to be able to pass a spelling test or ace a spelling bee.

Yet good spellers know that spelling is more than just memorizing lists of words.

Rather, the subject involves learning the rules of English and how they apply to spelling words well. This comes down to spelling rules.

Whether a student is a struggling speller or...

4 Spelling Strategies: Skip These at Your Peril

Spelling is an often overlooked part of good writing. 

Misspellings make writers look weak, and frequently spelling words incorrectly can make a writer look uneducated. Spelling concerns can also lead to miscommunications.

Many tricky words in the English language make it difficult to spell correctly all of the time.

While today's writers take advantage of spell-checking software that can help, ultimately they need to know how to spell well to communicate clearly.

Writers of the En...

Decision Fatigue Is a Myth. Here’s What You Should Know

The concept of decision fatigue doesn't exist, unless you believe in it. When in doubt, sleep, eat or go for a walk.

Will power is finite.

You've probably heard this piece of productivity advice. It comes from a famous 2009 study by Roy Baumeister, a psychologist at Florida State University.

In an oft-cited 2011 experiment, he asked students to sit next to a plate of fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookies.

Baumeister permitted some students to eat the cookies, and he told others to avoid...

How To Break Out Of A Creative Rut: 10 Powerful Strategies

This article contains everything you need to know about what causes a creative rut and how to overcome it.

So you’re sitting in front of your computer staring at a blank screen and the creative part of your brain is as dry as the Kalahari desert. Some might call this writer’s block, others a creative rut. But whatever you chose to call it, it’s terrifying.

And you’re not alone. Even legendary writers like Ernest Hemingway dreaded staring at a blank piece of paper. He was once asked, “what ...

How to Make an Audiobook Listeners Love

If you want to learn how to make an audiobook, our 10 step guide explains what equipment you need and the nuts and bolts of audiobook production.

According to Deloitte, global audiobook sales reached over four billion dollars in 2020, that's a 2% year-on-year increase. 

As a self-published author, audiobooks form an increasing proportion of my monthly revenue from book sales. It's easier than ever for indie authors to create or self-publish their first audiobook. You need the right equipment, so...

16 Tips For Managing Remote Work Distractions

In this article, two writers provide tips for managing remote work distractions. They're ideal for any parent balancing a job and family.

If you're juggling life as full-time parent with work, you're constantly facing the challenge of getting things done on time.

Motherhood involves a ton of unforeseen events outside your control. No matter how well you plan, there's going to be a challenge when it comes to working or beating deadlines.

As a blogger, I understand the hardships of being ...

42 Common Grammar Terms Every Writer Should Know

Writing well requires a proper understanding of grammar.

Many good writers use English grammar accurately without understanding the meaning behind certain common grammar terms. Still, if you're going to truly excel as a writer, it's best to learn and then apply grammar terms and meanings.

Here are some common grammar terms that come up frequently in the writing world.

1. Active Voice

Verbs can be either active or passive. If the subject directly causes the action of the ver...

9 of the Best Substack Newsletters Worth Reading

The best Substack newsletters cover a diverse range of topics from politics to the arts. In this article, we explore the platform and interview its cofounder.

Substack is a platform that helps writers and content creator use an email subscription newsletter platform to convert their subscribers into paying customers.

Substack offers a content management system (CMS) designed to publish newsletters to your mailing list, integrate payments with Stripe, and host a website with free and subsc...

The Best Book Writing Software: 15 Top Choices

If you're an author looking for the best book writing software apps, you've got plenty of great options.

I've written and published several book over the years. I'm also nerdy about writing software and have road-tested many different book writing apps. 

The good news is writers don't have to constrain themselves to Word.

You can choose from numerous writing applications for Mac, Windows and even mobile app options.

In fact, it's hard for an author to find the right book or novel...