Welcome to Daniel Howard’s blog, a place where we talk about reading, writing, and everything in between. Expect a healthy does of cynicism and a less-healthy dose of foul language. There may even be the occasional sprinkle of new releases and other fun content.
Grammar Gripes: Using “They” Instead of “He or She”
Grammar Gripes: Using “They” Instead of “He or She” This isn’t a gripe about “Why on Earth do people do this nonsense?” It’s more of a gripe about “Why on Earth doesn’t everyone do this? It’s nonsense!” I consider myself a feminist, being fully supportive of equal...
Grammar Gripes: The Oxford Comma
The Oxford comma is the proper name for that comma added at the end of a list of items. It’s a common question among new writers and experienced writers alike: Does the last item before “and” need a comma? The Oxford comma says yes. So do I. Compare the following. I...
Worse Than Writer’s Block
I hate writer’s block. It’s like an itch you can’t scratch, a painful pressure in the creative sinuses, a constipation of the soul. Luckily, there are various back scratchers, nasal sprays, and laxatives available for writer’s block. It can be overcome, or it passes...
Pretentious Sh*t That Works: Writing in Longhand
Technology rocks. My productivity has gone up a hundred fold since I started using smartphones. There a couple of computers hooked up through a few different routers around my house, and I'm rarely far from a screen. A Luddite, I'm not. But I still write many things...
Grammar Gripes: The Semicolon
I’ll throw this one right out there: I hate semicolons. In all the proofreading I’ve done in my life - a significant amount - ninety percent of the semicolons I’ve encountered have been used incorrectly. An additional nine percent of those semicolons were used...
Inspiration is for Amateurs
This is not an original idea. I’ve heard it before somewhere, probably several somewheres in fact, but that doesn’t mean I can’t give it my own spin. The title says it all: Inspiration is for amateurs. I’m speaking here as a working writer. The majority of my income...
Grammar Gripes: Hyphens in Adjectives
Here’s one that is still pretty tricky. It still gets me Googling the answer, and I mess it up from time to time as well. When do we add a hyphen to an adverb-adjective pair? Here’s the general rule. Hyphenate an adverb-adjective pair when the adverb does not end with...
When I Learned Science Fiction is Literature
As a starry-eyed young man, I dreamed of creating great literature. Or becoming a naturopath, but that’s another story entirely. I’ve done neither, but at least there’s still a chance on the literature front. Unfortunately, my great love is (and always has been) the...
Why Do I Call It Speculative Fiction (at Least in My Own Head)?
When I put together the first volume of Voices of Imagination, I really wanted to call it an anthology of speculative fiction. It’s so much neater and tighter than the unwieldy title currently attached to the collection - Voices of Imagination: An Anthology of...
About Me
I'm a writer, editor, nerd, and foul-mouthed cheerleader of creative people everywhere. When not trying to force words to do my bidding, I'm a husband and father. Subscribe
Proofread with Grammarly
