by Sarah Chauncey | Sep 9, 2016 | Writing
A while back, I wondered about the origins of the phrase “woo-woo” (often shortened, including by me, as “woo”). In my mind, I heard the sound produced by a theremin—an instrument used to create ‘outer space’ sound effects for 1950s and 1960s sci-fi movies—and in the...
by Sarah Chauncey | Sep 1, 2016 | Writing
In the first POV post, you learned about why POV (perspective) is important, and about separating facts from interpretations. First-person POV has considerable limitations. However, there are ways to work around it, to create a richer, more engaging reading...
by Sarah Chauncey | Aug 31, 2016 | Writing
POV stands for “point of view,” also known as perspective. POV keeps the reader oriented. It’s a framework that helps the reader interpret what’s being revealed and by whom. For that reason, an inconsistent POV can break a reader’s trust—which is the ultimate sin of...
by Sarah Chauncey | Aug 26, 2016 | Writing
Resonant storytelling includes a mixture of magic and logic, of possibility and practicality. Many nonfiction writers get trapped in one side or the other. Scientists and corporate types become overly attached to jargon and traditional logic out of a fear of being...
by Sarah Chauncey | Aug 19, 2016 | Writing
The Latin-based languages comprise 26 symbols that, arranged in a mind-boggling array of variation, somehow connect us with one another. It’s pretty awesome, when you think about it. Yet it has limitations. Not only do most words have multiple meanings (like...
