Gifford MacShane, Author

Historical Fiction with Romance & a Dash of Celtic Mysticism

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7 Great Authors Take on the “RULES OF WRITING”

August 7, 2018 / Gifford MacShane / 2 Comments

We've all heard about the RULES we need to follow in order to be “good” writers. No adverbs, no passive voice, no split infinitives, show don't tell, limit dialogue tags to “said” & “asked”, use only one POV per chapter―these are just a few of the absolutes we're faced with every day. I've heard some … Continue reading 7 Great Authors Take on the “RULES OF WRITING”

The Rules of Writing: No Gerunds?

May 10, 2018March 14, 2020 / Gifford MacShane / 1 Comment

While doing research recently for an ESL student, I came across another “rule of writing”, to wit: Don't use gerunds; they make your writing weak. To qualify as a gerund a word must be: a verb with an “ing” suffix that performs the job of a noun. Take these sentences as examples: I like hiking. … Continue reading The Rules of Writing: No Gerunds?

Getting back in the swing of things

January 24, 2017March 17, 2020 / Gifford MacShane / 2 Comments

So, it seems that I managed to take another 8-week sabbatical this holiday season. However, unlike last year, this one was not full of family, friends, and celebrations (although we spent a lovely day at my brother's house on Christmas). At home, we had only one tree instead of our usual five, and only two … Continue reading Getting back in the swing of things

THE RULES vs. Style Choices

November 14, 2016March 19, 2020 / Gifford MacShane / Leave a comment

In the past few weeks, I've seen too many articles that propound “THE RULES of Writing”. An overabundance, if you will, most of which don't make any distinction between THE RULES and STYLE CHOICES. THE RULES are universal. For instance:  a sentence must have a subject and a verb;  the subject and verb must agree; … Continue reading THE RULES vs. Style Choices

At the Intersection of Music and Writing

March 4, 2016March 18, 2020 / Gifford MacShane / 7 Comments

It occurred to me the other day that the people who propound THE RULES OF WRITING are much more vocal than those of us who do not. Since I was listening to a John McCormack CD at the time (it's almost Paddy's Day, you know, and I'm learning two new songs), I wondered how those … Continue reading At the Intersection of Music and Writing

The Rules of Writing: A Built-In Paradox

October 3, 2015March 14, 2020 / Gifford MacShane / 7 Comments

The Rules of Writing.  So many of them are subject to discussion, if not passionate argument.  The Oxford comma, the em-dash, the sentence fragment: you're on one side or the other.  Hardly anyone stands on the fence. Two of the most popular and oft-quoted Rules are: 1.) Use a stronger verb instead of a verb … Continue reading The Rules of Writing: A Built-In Paradox

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