1023. I felt like I could write anything after this discussion with Anne Lamott about painful first drafts, beating perfectionism, and the one thing she'd change in "Bird by Bird."

1022. This week, we look at election terms like president-elect and lame duck and how they're used during a U.S. presidential transition. Then, I dig into my favorite kind of hot grammar news: peo

1021. This week, Christopher Penn talks about the role of AI tools like ChatGPT in writing and editing. We look at common misconceptions about how AI works and best practices for writing prompts. We

1020. This week, we shed light on quirky restaurant slang like kill it and Chef Mike. Then, we tackle the long-standing debate over what to call residents of Michigan "Michiganders" or "Michigan

1019. This week, Jonathan Small, author of "Write About Now," shares what he's learned about the common struggles writers face throughout their careers. His book highlights stories from bestselling au

1018. This week, we look at the meanings of the word "board," including the differences between board games, table games, and table-top games. We also look at the punctuation of participial phrases, h

1017. How did British words find their way into American English? Author Ben Yagoda shares insights with us from his new book "Gobsmacked!"

1016. This week, we look at why some verbs are so irregular their forms don't even seem related, like "go" and "went." Then, we look at the surprising finding that corporate euphemisms are worse than

1015. A rare chance to hear directly from the editors of the Chicago Manual of Style! The CMOS (pronounced "sea moss") is updated every seven years, and this year's update is a big one! I talked with

1014. We debunk misconceptions about gendered language, tracing the etymology of words like "cockamamie" and "gynecology." We also look at the flexibility of English grammar, examining how common word