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When to Stop Revising: How to Avoid Overediting
‘ Are you a perfectionist? Perfectionism can be maddening. Imagine rereading and rewriting a piece until you can no longer even understand how it will be perceived by other people. Yet this type of revision is essential to creating a creditable piece of writing, whether it’s fiction, expository writing, or an essay for class. Perfectionism…
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“You’re Good”: An Annoying Verbal Tic
Excuse me, don’t tell me “I’m good” as though my sole concern is not running afoul of your delicate sensibilities.
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Reducing Clutter with Adverbs & Sentence Combining
Tightening up prose is necessary when reading it feels labored or dull. After the tightening up, it feels, well, tight and spry. Tell me which sentence sounds better to you: “The students filtered down the main staircase with an extra exuberance in their steps.” Or “The students filtered down the main staircase exuberantly.” I am…
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About
People have often said to me, Hey, you should start a blog. I have finally, reluctantly agreed. Bio: My writing has appeared in Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, The Federalist, Real Clear Politics, Real Clear Markets, Education Week, and The Washington Times. Currently I serve as weekend editor at Daily Caller News Foundation. I have an…
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Mission Statement
People have often said to me: “Wow, you should start a blog.” I have finally, reluctantly agreed. This will be a good way for me to fight back against an unjust world in which people do not say things correctly. In fact, I don’t even want to limit myself to a singular mission statement, other…
Michael Machera Blog
Books, Grammar and Opinion
