Expert tips from a nurse-turned-writer

Hello writers,

I got a bike since my last newsletter and I’m addicted! Full disclosure, I got the pedal assist e-bike based on my general non-athleticism and hatred of exercise. But regardless, I’ve having a blast tooling around town and even made it out to a nearby castle this weekend!

Hope you all are having a fantastic week so far. ♥️

Talk soon,

WRITING TIP OF THE WEEK

My fight with grammar

A few weeks ago, I had some mega fights with ProWriting Aid over the use of "that" in my sentences. I typically don't like using "that" as a relative pronoun or in "that-clauses." (I'm not trying to be pretentious… I had to look it up.)

If you don’t know what the heck I’m talking about, here’s what these look like:

🤔 I picked up the groceries that I had forgotten.

🤔 I agree that you're right.

🤔 He was on the team that I’m on now.

Most times, these “that’s” feel superfluous. (Say that sentence five times fast!) In a piece I'm working on, the grammar tool tried to get me to add "that" to this sentence, changing it from:

❶ "More research is needed to confirm getting this nutrient from your diet has an effect."

To:

❷ "More research is needed to confirm →that← getting this nutrient from your diet has an effect."

But I didn’t want to. So I left it out. What do you think? Should I have added the "that?"

TRIVIA-PALOOZA

All-time bestseller

Your trivia question for the week is…

💡 What is the best-selling novel of all time?💡

(The answer’s at the bottom!)

FREELANCER/INDIE AUTHOR CORNER

That time I almost quit

I’ve been freelancing since 2022, and I have lost track of how many times I felt the urge to throw my hands in the air (and my laptop out the window).

This business offers excitement and a ton of fulfillment…when things are going well. But I promise, no matter which uber-successful freelancer you follow on LinkedIn, everyone struggles with:

• Imposter syndrome

• Unpaid invoices

• Losing clients

• Unpredictable income

• Scope creep

• Burnout

I won’t sit here and tell you everything will be alright — no one can promise that. But I can tell you we’re all in this with you. We all have our moments of victory and defeat. And I hope you’ll give it another chance, because when it’s good, it’s really good!

How’s your business going right now? Reply and let me know! ♥️

‘Til next time

Thanks for reading and see you in a few weeks!

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MY AUTHOR BOOKSHELF

💡 Find the trivia answer HERE 💡