ADVICE FOR THE LIT-LORN

Inflamed

Why do we have two words, almost identical, that mean “easily set on fire”? I’m talking about flammable and inflammable. Even dictionary writers seem embarrassed about this weird situation.

Writing real people

When writing a short non-fiction story about someone, is it a bad idea to use the person’s real name?

Let it rest

How important is it to set aside a completed draft, and for how long?

That doggone comma

Now that the lack of a serial comma in a state law has famously caused an appeals court in Maine, USA, to rule against a large company—potentially leading to a multimillion-dollar large settlement—do you stand by your policy of omitting that comma?

Flash momentum

Can you recommend a really fast, really easy way to stay connected to the writing life when you just can’t carve out even an hour? My friend and I both have toddlers, jobs, partners and aging parents, and we are both writing novels.

To market

What marketing tasks should a writer take on (or not), other than a social media presence, as you say in your post "Marketeers"?

Coming or going, continued

The question [Which is correct: “Ted asked me to come over” or “Ted asked me to go over”? February 1, 2017] isn’t just about direction of movement, it’s about indirect dialogue.

Just how creative?

I’m wondering what your thoughts are about the role of facts in an essay, both historically and currently, and how much truth matters in an essay.

Marketeers

Who is responsible for marketing a book?

Getting the picture

I’ve written a book for young children and I hope to illustrate it as well. But I hear through the grapevine that it might compromise my submission to send illustrations to a publisher along with the written manuscript. True?

Pluralistics

What is the plural of McDonald’s? Everything I try looks wrong, and online search results are far from unanimous.

Down side

Am I going about writing the wrong way or am I just perverse? I finally got an arts grant to finish my collection, but I'm miserable. I don’t like most of what I write and I stare into space and feel lazy and guilty. Any advice?

Coming or going

Please settle my bet with a friend. Which is correct: “Ted asked me to come over” or “Ted asked me to go over”? There’s ten bucks riding on your answer.

Give and let gift

Why has the perfectly good noun "gift" been twisted into use as a verb, replacing the perfectly good verb "give"?

Editing fail

What should a writer do when a magazine editor makes editorial errors?

Following replacement

Which is correct: “replaced by” or “replaced with”?