Yesterday I listened to a podcast where Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen were sharing the stories behind their chosen careers. While their upbringings were markedly different, each considered themselves an outsider who had a valuable message to share – but lacked a voice. Politics and music {respectively} gave them a platform for self-expression. Springsteen recalled, “I needed to find a way to speak, and to be heard.”

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #ChooseToChallenge,” and I choose to challenge a woman’s right to give voice.

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Confusing “i.e.” and “e.g.” is rumored to be one of the most common mistakes writers make. It certainly is tricky for me!

Both abbreviations are derived from Latin words, which always complicates matters. So I’m going to keep things as simple as possible:

• i.e. stands for “id est,” which essentially means “in other words.”
• e.g. is the abbreviation for “exempli gratia” or “for example” in English.

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“For better or worse, a writer is working all the time.” Robert Bruce

I would argue that this premise isn’t 100% true – at least among the writers I hang out with. But for the sake of argument, let’s pretend it is.

If writers are writing all the time, it would be safe to assume that they steer clear of the common pitfalls ordinary folks experience when they put pen to paper {so to speak.}

Again – I beg to differ. Read more →