Nib of the Week

There is nothing wrong with “to be” verbs — is , are , were , was , am , etc. Sometimes they’re the right word (like in this sentence!). But often “to be” verbs hide the right word. Consider: The Senator is a supporter of gun control. The storms were responsible for the delayed flights. In each case, an action verb can convey the same thought in a tighter, livelier sentence, like: The Senator supports gun control. The storms delayed the flights. Active verbs give your nouns something to do. And when your nouns move, so does your writing. So next time you’re editing something you wrote, circle every “to be” verb and then re-read the sentence. See if there is an active verb in the second half of the sentence masquerading as a noun or an adjective, like in the examples above. If swapping that verb in for the “to be” one makes the sentence brisker and more vivid, congratulations: you just learned a way to improve every paragraph you ever write. Until next week… keep writing!

For all the rules against using AI in your writing, there is one way all young writers should be using it: finding typos. AI apps are excellent at identifying the kind of mistakes that our eyes might overlook. Think misspelled or repeated words, doubled-up prepositions, that kind of thing. Writers get worse at finding these things after a few reads because familiarity with the text dulls our proofreading eyes. So when you have edited something yourself a few times already, have AI scrub it -- not for content, just for typos. Never have the app make the changes for you. Tell it to give you a list of typos it found, and then enter the changes yourself. That way you will always hold pen and own every correction yourself. Until next week… keep writing!

Reading is hard enough when words’ meanings are fixed. When they are fluid, it’s like trying to play catch in the dark. Young writers who want to join the rearguard fight for clarity against confusion can start with these five words that almost everyone misuses these days: 1. Enormity means terrible sin, not scope. So don’t refer to the “enormity of America’s victory in the Cold War” unless you’re a communist. 2. Unique means one of a kind, not rare. Never say “pretty unique” or “very unique.” Something is either unique or it’s not. 3. Nauseous describes things that make one nauseated ; it doesn’t mean sick at the stomach. As Strunk & White put it, “Do not, therefore, say, ‘I feel nauseous,’ unless you are certain you have that effect on others.” 4. Disinterested means impartial, like a judge. Uninterested means indifferent to, like the way people feel about professional lacrosse. 5. Finally, to imply means to hint at or suggest something as a writer or speaker. To infer means to conclude, as a reader or listener, what a writer or speaker might be implying. Always remember, precision in writing isn’t about pedantry; it’s about generosity toward one’s readers. Until next week… keep writing.

Young writers often feel confronted by a dilemma when picking their summer beach books: fun trash or serious literature. But it’s a false choice! Genre fiction — however light, however formulaic — boasts some of the best writing ever published. There are crime novels, screwball comedies, and adventure stories so crisp and nimble that they will (without you even knowing it) sharpen your mind while you’re flying through the pages under the summer sun. If you have never read Elmore Leonard or Donald Westlake’s comedy crime capers… or Patrick O’Brien’s Aubrey-Maturin naval war stories… or P.G. Woodhouse’s “musical comedies without the music,” you are one of the lucky ones who still gets to experience them for the first time! Patricia Highsmith and Agatha Christie were tremendous writers who just happened to write mysteries. J.K. Rowling’s post-Potter whodunits and John le Carre’s spy novels soar above their “genre” labels. W.C. Heinz’s boxing novel, The Professional , is as good as writing gets. Beach reads don’t have to be cotton candy. And serious literature doesn’t have to be Brussels sprouts. This summer, treat yourself to the delicious, nutritious superstars of genre fiction. Until next week… keep writing!

ChatGPT’s notorious overuse of em-dashes has led many young writers to foreswear them so their writing won’t look lifted from AI. They should not. First of all, em-dashes are good! If you write sentences longer than 15 words, you’re going to eventually need them. Using five commas to set off two clauses, an appositive, and a parenthetical in one sentence is confusing to readers. Moreover, em-dashes are not the problem with AI writing! It’s the bland, superficial, bloodless prose. In a world where everyone can now produce that kind of polished slop, the best way for young writers to distinguish themselves is through the clarity of their perspective and the authenticity of their voice. Be real. Be wrong, even. But be human. Go ahead and use those em-dashes. Just make sure you write the rest of your stuff, too. Until next week… keep writing!