As I’ve transitioned from news writing to fiction writing over the past few years, I’ve learned that writing dialogue is much different than recording quotes. I can’t tell you how many hours I spent transcribing interviews during my undergraduate degree in journalism. Every story I wrote for the school newspaper required at least two interviews, … More Reflections on Writing Dialogue by Emily Babbitt
I’ve been working from home for 21 weeks. This prolonged period of isolation has given me time to reflect on happier times in life: adventures and excitement in college, friendships forged in high school, and time spent reading with my mom as a child. Those were the good days — Mom reading to me and … More Reading With My Mom by Emily Babbitt
Some stories — even if written during a different time — are applicable to every generation of teens because they help with interpreting culture. First published in 1967, The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, has inspired readers for more than 50 years. Hinton, just fifteen years old when she began writing the book, was inspired by … More The Challenge of Interpreting Culture by Emily Babbitt
I hadn’t been to church since February, and I was starting to feel disconnected from God. During my first week back in a sanctuary, God spoke to me through a literary device — repetition. My church stopped hosting in-person services at the beginning of March because of COVID-19, and I’d missed a few weeks before … More The Power of Repetition by Emily Babbitt
The English language has many interesting components to work with, and one of my favorite ways to add personality to my writing is through punctuation! In grade school, you learned about the different end marks: periods, exclamation marks, and question marks. You probably also learned about commas, colons, semicolons, and hyphens. There is a whole … More Punctuation: Spice Up Your Writing by Emily Babbitt
One of the most difficult parts of any writing project is keeping your ideas, writings, and sources organized. Here a few tips and resources to help you organize your next project. Outlines Forget about the Roman-numeral-heavy outlines from grade school and think in lists, paragraphs, images, or phrases — whatever helps you organize your thoughts. … More Get Organized! Helpful Tools for Writers by Emily Babbitt
Sometimes life isn’t kind, and it’s hard to focus on your job or your personal projects. Here are some tips to help you work through difficult times. Just a few weeks ago, my husband and I were involved in a hit-and-run accident with an 18-wheeler. It brushed the side of my Honda Civic and sent … More Difficult Times — Tips For Working Through the Tough Parts of Life by Emily Babbitt
In an effort to grow my copywriting skills, I took Ian Lurie’s LinkedIn Learning course “Learning to Write Marketing Copy.” He broke copywriting down into four easy steps: create a plan, free write, write your first draft, and polish your writing. While the course focused specifically on writing marketing copy, I’ve been able to apply … More Grow Your Writing Skills — Part III by Emily Babbitt
In an effort to grow my copywriting skills, I took Ian Lurie’s LinkedIn Learning course “Learning to Write Marketing Copy.” He broke copywriting down into four easy steps: create a plan, free write, write your first draft, and polish your writing. While the course focused specifically on writing marketing copy, I’ve been able to apply his … More Grow Your Writing Skills — Part II
In an effort to grow my copywriting skills, I took Ian Lurie’s LinkedIn Learning course “Learning to Write Marketing Copy.” He broke copywriting down into four easy steps: create a plan, free write, write your first draft, and polish your writing. While the course focused specifically on writing marketing copy, I’ve been able to apply … More Grow Your Writing Skills — Part I