Author: Cori Davan

Cori wields six years of wordsmithing experience to assist the Anita Lovett & Associates team with project management and content creation. Her passion lies in strengthening the skills of freelance writers.
Copywriting, Tips & General Advice, Writing1 Comment
10 Ways to Improve Your Storytelling Skills

10 Ways to Improve Your Storytelling Skills

Cori Davan

Ever since I was a kid, I have been a fan of daytime soap operas. I can remember coming home from school and watching my VHS taped show for the day. I would follow the storyline and thought that no matter how ridiculous the plot, whoever wrote the lines knew what they were doing.

Being a decent writer means that you are a decent storyteller, but why stop at decent? Improving your storytelling skills will strengthen your writing and make your work more attractive and relatable—two highly sought after elements in all wanted copywriters. Practice makes perfect. So here are ten exercises you can use to improve your storytelling swag: Continue reading “10 Ways to Improve Your Storytelling Skills”

Fiction Writing, WritingLeave a comment
Fiction Writing Rule #4

Fiction Writing Rule #4: Choose (And Stick With) a Point Of View

Cori Davan

A third of the population look at a glass containing 50% water and 50% air, and they say the glass is half-full. The next third say it’s half empty. The final third say screw it and grab a drink. Each third have a different point of view.

Perspective is everything.

As authors of our self-created universes, the point of view we choose to tell a story in sets the stage. It is, perhaps, the single most important decision we make because telling the same tale from a different point of view (POV) creates an entirely different novel. Continue reading “Fiction Writing Rule #4: Choose (And Stick With) a Point Of View”

editing & proofreading, Tips & General Advice, WritingLeave a comment
A Guide to Split Infinitives

A Guide to Split Infinitives

Cori Davan

Whether you are writing a novel or a simple short story, the infancy stages of your piece will not be perfect. It is also a safe bet that one of the biggest grammatical headaches, the split infinitive, has been a thorn in your side. Don’t worry, you are not the only writer to enter split infinitive hell! Continue reading “A Guide to Split Infinitives”

editing & proofreading, Tips & General Advice, Writing1 Comment

How to Use Grammarly

Cori Davan

Whether you’re a writer or editor, a little help with proofing is always welcome. Most word processing programs, like Microsoft Word and WordPerfect, come with basic proofreading capabilities. But what if you had access to smarter software? Would you use it? And what if you could use it for free? We’d like to introduce you to a smart software that’s been making our lives easier since 2010. It’s called Grammarly. Continue reading “How to Use Grammarly”

Fiction Writing, Writing9 Comments
Fiction Writing: Creating the Perfect Hero

Fiction Writing: Creating the Perfect Hero

Cori Davan

Fiction writing smolders down to the basic concept of good versus evil. A good story will include a hero and a villain duking it out in a twisted plot designed to keep the reader on their toes. The really good stories—the ones we can’t put down—are home to unlikely and flawed heroes, i.e. the perfect hero. But how do we as writers and authors create the perfect hero? Is there a formula? Or do they just magically spring into existence on the page? Continue reading “Fiction Writing: Creating the Perfect Hero”

Tips & General Advice, WritingLeave a comment
5 Ways to Banish Writer’s Block

5 Ways to Banish Writer’s Block

Cori Davan

You sit down with a steaming cup of coffee (or tea), ready and wanting to write, but nothing happens. You stare at a blank word processing page on your computer or tablet. The whiteness is emanating an unsaid taunt, threatening to induce blindness. Your eyeballs pulse as your mind races. What ails you? It’s called writer’s block! Continue reading “5 Ways to Banish Writer’s Block”

Fiction Writing, Writing4 Comments
Fiction Writing Rule #1

Fiction Writing Rule #1

Cori Davan

Fiction; the word gives me goose bumps. It embodies creativity, imagination, and the many facets of the human experience. It’s light and dark. It’s fun and frustrating. Best of all, experts (like Writer’s Digest) agree it has no set rules. You might say the number one rule of fiction writing is there are no rules, or at least none that cannot be broken. Continue reading “Fiction Writing Rule #1”