Welcome to another Edit This® grammar lesson. Today, we'll be talking about the difference between Vain, Vein, and Vane. Do you find yourself getting tripped up on these? If you do, you're not alone. Vain, Vein, and Vane are homophones — words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. The purpose of today's blog post is to explain the difference so that you can be a grammar pro moving forward. Vain is used to refer to someone who arrogantly admires themse

Welcome to another Edit This® grammar lesson. In today's blog post, let's discuss the difference between Feat vs. Feet. Do you know when to use each one? Feat vs. Feet are examples of homophones – words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings – and they trip more people up than you think. So, let's dive right in, shall we? Feat refers to an incredible and noteworthy achievement or act that is out of the ordinary and requires significant courage, strength

Welcome to another Edit This® grammar lesson. In today's blog, let's discuss the difference between Capital vs. Capitol. Do you know when to use each one? Capital vs. Capitol are examples of homophones – words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings – and they trip more people up than you think. So, let's dive right in, shall we? Capital with an "al" at the end has several meanings. It can be used when talking about uppercase letters or when referring to

A few keys to having a successful blog, regardless of what industry you are writing about, is to be consistent, focus on building relationships, have fun, and give readers something of value. And boy, did we lead by example in 2020! We take pride in our library of Edit This® blog posts, which covers practically everything that has to do with the writing and editing industry. From grammar tips to hacks for fellow writers and how to give your small business a voice, we've writt

As we inch closer to 2021, several friends, family, and clients have continued asking me, "Are we supposed to write it as New Year's or New Years?" The quick answer is ... New Year's (with the apostrophe). Please, for the love of Pete, do not write "New Years." Why is it New Year's? Using an apostrophe shows possession, which is important when you're talking about New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, a New Year's resolution, a New Year's greeting, etc. In all instances, you're ref

I believe everyone should have an opportunity to do what they are most passionate about for a living. It's like they say, if you do, you'll never work a day in your life. For me, my passion is obviously writing – being a writer. And I am incredibly thankful for that and so much more. I am thankful for being blessed with the ability to write. I am thankful for having the opportunity to tell your stories. I am thankful that I can use my God-given talents to provide for my famil

I love seeing company websites that have fun and engaging employee bios on an About Us, Meet The Team, or Our Team page. While not a do-or-die element, these are some of my favorite pages to read. And the fact that they took the time to include them shows how much the owners value building connections between their staff and potential clients. Visitors click on those pages more often than you think. Employee bios give your site a sense of trust, personalization, and completen

A few years ago, a client reached out to me with an interesting request. She needed me to write a quick blurb to promote their bank's new debit card program, but it couldn't be longer than a few sentences and should take less than a minute to read. I'm used to writing copy that's short and sweet. This one was a bit different, though. The blurb was going to be read by a PA announcer during halftime of an upcoming football game. "I'd try to write it myself, but I was supposed t

Welcome to another Edit This® grammar lesson. In today's blog, let's discuss the difference between Principal vs. Principle. Do you know when to use each one? Most of you might be saying, "Why, yes, I do!" But for others, it's not that easy – even for a veteran writer and editor. Principal and Principle are examples of homophones – words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings – and they trip more people up than you think. In today's post, I'll be going

Welcome to another Edit This® grammar lesson. In today's blog, let's discuss the difference between Bail vs. Bale. Do you know when to use each one? Most of you might be saying, "Why, yes, I do!" But for others, it's not that easy – even for a veteran writer and editor like myself. For example, I was editing a few articles at the Denton Record-Chronicle when I came across this sentence: "I’d probably jump on hay bails because that was really hard for me to do when I was littl

People ask me all the time, "why is having well-written copy so important for my website?" The answer is that your website isn't complete without it. You could have the most current and expertly designed site in your industry, with visually pleasing photos and every bell and whistle imaginable. But if you didn't bother to include well-written copy (words) to explain what you do and share your story, the site will fall short. Visitors will struggle to find you in search result

Editor's Note: This is a guest post from one of our Edit This® business partners, Randi Skinner, with RS Consulting. Randi is a marketing and idea strategist, and we have the potential to work together on a variety of content writing projects moving forward. Today she'll discuss first impressions and the impact a strong online review strategy has on your small business. You can learn more about what Randi does on her website and blog. RS Consulting is also all over social med

Getting up to write early in the morning didn't just make me a better writer – it saved my life. Geez, just reading that sentence again makes me seem melodramatic! But it's true. For two or three years – maybe longer – getting up to write early in the morning was a big "hell no" for me. Instead, I was a night owl. I used the hours of 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. to write my best stuff. And it wasn't just once or twice a week. It was more like five or six nights a week. I did it to avoid

Maybe it's the Grammar Nazi in me, but here's my heartfelt public service announcement for the week: don't forget to grammar check your PowerPoint presentations, too. I've had several clients ask me over the last few weeks to give their upcoming presentations a quick once-over for things like grammar, spelling, and overall effectiveness. I truly appreciate them looking to me for help, and I love how dead set they are on making sure they look and sound their absolute best. But

It can be a daunting task for freelance writers to get noticed by potential clients. Sure, there is a lot of work out there to be had, but if the list of quality writers who are competing against you for those opportunities is twice as long, how can you possibly stand out? I asked myself that same question six years ago when I started Edit This®. I had my computer, an enthusiastic attitude, and tons of creative juices – but only one client. Truth be told, that client was from

Welcome to another Edit This® grammar lesson. In today's blog post, let's discuss the difference between Here vs. Hear. Do you know when to use each one? Most of you might be saying, "Why, yes, I do!" But for others, it's not that easy. These are perfect examples of homophones – words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings – and they trip more people up than you think. But don't worry. We are here to clear up the confusion. Here is used to refer to the

Freelance writers love to stay busy. It doesn't matter if we are writing a blog, magazine article, novel, website copy, or helping a client come up with the right words for their company newsletter – give us something to write and a little direction, and off we go. But the reality is that freelance writing is hard work, and it can lead to unhealthy habits and health risks if we aren't careful. Does any of this sound familiar to my fellow freelance writers? * Sleep deprivation

Our weekly networking group went through an interactive exercise this morning, where each participant shared his or her personal and business goals for 2020. Naturally, we wrote each goal down, but speaking our intentions out loud kinda made it all the more official. I always have a list of personal and business goals a mile long – especially when it comes to my writing and editing company, Edit This®. But this year I've decided to hone in on my Top 4. Here are my Top 4 perso

At Edit This®, we talk a lot about the importance of giving your small business a voice. One of the best ways to do that while also building relationships with your readers is with blogs, and boy did we lead by example in 2019! We added 52 new entries to our library of blog posts this past year. It was a tough decision, but here are 12 of our favorite blog posts from 2019. Simply click on the individual green-colored links to take you to each article. What to do after you wri

Let's squeeze in one more quick grammar lesson before the end of the year, shall we? In today's post, I want to talk about writing New Year's or New Years. Which is it, and why? The short answer is that you always write it as New Year's (with the apostrophe). Using an apostrophe 's' shows possession, which is important when you're talking about New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, a New Year's resolution, a New Year's greeting, etc. In all instances, you're referring to something