Sculpted Words Editing

The idea for this post came while I was at the DMV with my 16-year-old daughter. (Yep, another driver in the family!) While waiting, I noticed their list of fees; only they had spelled it “fee’s.” Naturally, I looked for fee’s what? Fee’s changes? Fee’s price increase? But, no, on the opposite column, the exact same list appeared, this time under the heading “Fees.” Sadly, the DMV’s sign designer doesn’t understand when to use and when not to use an apostrophe.

I would hate for an error of this kind on your part to cause you embarrassment. So, let me give you a quick set of guidelines: Read more »

I’ve been working with my students for the last couple of months on writing Rhetorical Analysis papers. Rhetorical Analysis papers go by many names: Rhetorical Analysis, Summary/ Strong Response, Textual Analysis, Response papers, and many more. However, to one degree or another, any paper of this type requires the writer (you) to analyze the purpose, audience, and structure of a text. That is, your teacher wants to know if you can figure out how a text works as a piece of writing, and he or she is less concerned with the issue the text addresses.

It is this focus on the how of a text (the rhetorical strategies used in its design) rather than the what of a text (a text’s subject matter) that tends to confuse students. So, I’d like to offer some tips today on how you can prepare to write a stunning Rhetorical Analysis paper (whatever your teacher happens to be calling it). Read more »

So, your teacher has just asked you to write a 4- to 6-page essay, and you have no idea what to write about. Trust me; staring at the computer screen for another hour is not going to help. What you need are some ideas to get your brain started. Read more »

Do you remember those nice lists your elementary school teachers would give you so you knew what school supplies to buy each year? They don’t make those for college students. Yet, there are some supplies you will need for your college-level writing class that you might not think of yourself (and, of course, a few that you would think of on your own). Read more »

Welcome to the Sculpted Words Editing website.

Click on the blog to get information on how to be a better writer and to have your writing questions answered. If you need a question answered that you don’t see here, post a comment, and I’ll answer your question in a future blog post.

If you need help editing a paper, please contact me. I would love to help you