Many ideas exist about why people dream, but science hasn’t provided a clear answer on what dreams actually do. Different theories try to explain this mysterious aspect of sleep. Some believe dreams help process emotions or memories, while others think they serve as a way for the brain to organize information. Despite these dream theories, […]
Tips for Students
How to End a Story: Best 6 Story Endings
After spending weeks, months, or even years crafting your story, it all boils down to one crucial moment—the ending. This is where you tie up all the loose ends and bring everything to a close. No pressure, but if you don’t get this right, it might feel like all your hard work was for nothing. […]
Three Types of Irony: Definition and Examples
Irony is a tool that writers use to show the difference between what we expect to happen and what actually happens in a story. There are mainly three types of irony: dramatic, situational, and verbal. Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows something that the characters in the story do not. It creates suspense and […]
What Is Third Person Point of View in Writing?
In stories, there’s something called the third-person point of view. It’s like watching a movie with a camera that moves around to show different characters and parts of the story. The narrator in this type of story can either know everything about everyone, including their thoughts and feelings (like a mind reader), or it can […]
What is Parallel Structure? Types and Examples
Parallelism or parallel structure is when you repeat similar grammatical parts, whether you’re talking or writing. Using this structure can make your message clearer and easier to understand. It’s not just a helpful tool; it can also make your words more powerful and memorable. In literature, parallelism goes beyond just repeating—it can highlight differences, create […]
What is Indirect Characterization and Examples?
In stories and movies, made-up people, like in books or films, act like real folks with their own personalities. When you write, you share these traits with readers in two ways: by directly saying what a character is like or by showing it in how they act, talk, and think. The second way, called indirect […]
What is a Case Study: Definition, Types, Examples
Case studies are often used by researchers, economists, and others to find answers to questions in various fields. These studies cover a wide range of topics, such as examining many years of climate information to help with conservation or creating new ideas in psychology. In this guide, you’ll discover the various kinds of a case […]
Periods and Parentheses
In writing, parentheses are useful for adding extra details, explanations, or side notes to your main sentence. They’re simple to use and help your reader understand your message better. Yet, using parentheses correctly involves following specific punctuation rules. When teaching my students about parentheses, I find that explaining the rules related to end marks and […]
How to Research a Novel
Good stories usually have a connection to things that happen in the real world. To make your story feel real, you need to do some research before writing your novel. Discover the best way to find information for your new book or short story. When you write a story, it’s helpful to base it on […]
10 Mental Filtering Examples
Mental filtering is a way of thinking where a person only sees the bad things in a situation and ignores the good. Some call it cognitive filtering, negativity bias, or selective abstraction. For instance, imagine a student gets a report card with mostly good grades, but one subject has a lower grade. Instead of feeling […]