Writing Rules

You can learn to write better by writing for fun. Whether you enjoy writing short stories, or you're interested in writing real news stories, you can enjoy writing and set yourself up for a successful future.

Proofreader's marks can be confusing at first. If you're struggling to understand your teacher's correction marks, you can use the list here to clear up the confusion.

Should you ever spell out mister? Is it acceptable to abbreviate professor? Find answers to your questions about common abbreviations.

A dash is typed by using two hyphens (minus key). You will use a dash to insert an emphatic statement in a sentence.

Hyphens are used to indicate a line break or to join words together. See examples of hyphens used to make adjectives.

When is it appropriate to use brackets? How are they different from parentheses? Discover rules for using one of the most confusing types of punctuation.

Short story assignments are fun, but they can also be tricky when it comes to writing the dialogue, or conversations that take place between characters. It's not easy to write story dialogue that flows, provides relevant information, and sounds natural.

Can you think of more words that creep you out? There are some words that sound creepy or out of place in professional writing.