The WM Freelance Writers Connection

by Shakirah Dawud I have way too much fun with the English language sometimes. This is one of those times, so I decided to share with you. I wonder whether English speakers realized what they were doing when they coined and pulled words from other languages that are innocuous alone but form instant cliches–and too-convenient rhymes–when paired. It took me a [...]

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I get over 2 million results in Google when I search for irregardless. Among the results are credible sources like Merriam-Webster, which gives the 85-year-old misfit an honorary place as the nonstandard version of regardless, with the gentle advice: Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless [...]

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by Shakirah Dawud This question was posed in a LinkedIn group for writers some weeks ago, and when I saw it I though, “Huh?” Since I didn’t know how to respond except with a counter question, I didn’t. You see, havng sampled a piece of someone else’s written work, I just mark off the box “like,” “dislike,” or “disinterested” without [...]

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by Shakirah Dawud Please welcome guest Lynette Benton, writing teacher, mentor, and fabulous storyteller.  The six years I spent as a technical writer nearly killed my creative writing career. I managed to publish a couple of personal essays during that period, but it was difficult. For the first time in my life, words didn’t flow [...]

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An example of a failure to communicate between a couple are talking on the phone. She: I love you. He: Me, too. She (after a pause): You do? He: Of course! She (after a longer pause): Don’t you love… anyone else? He: What? No! She (after a considering silence): That’s okay. I love you anyway. [...]

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