By Robin Trent Victorian pastiche guides exist to address a precise creative challenge: how to write as though shaped by the nineteenth century without reproducing its texts. They are not manuals for imitation in the superficial sense, nor do they function as repositories of borrowed language. Instead, they offer writers a way to understand how…

Getting Past Writer’s Block: Why It Happens—and What Actually Helps Writer’s block has been mythologized almost beyond recognition. It’s spoken of as a curse, a failure of discipline, or proof that inspiration has abandoned you. Entire industries exist to shame writers out of it, promising that the right routine, the right mindset, or the right…

The Em Dash and the En Dash: What They Are—and Why They Matter Dashes are small marks with surprisingly big responsibilities. Used well, they clarify meaning, control rhythm, and add polish to your writing. Used poorly, they create confusion—or quietly signal inexperience. Two dashes cause the most trouble: the em dash (—) and the en…