top of page

Making Writers' Lives Easier One Word at a Time
The Werd Nerd Blog
Search


Erika M. Weinert
Jan 14, 20213 min read
A(n) Historical Moment in the Use of a/an
We know that there’s a certain way to use a/an in our communication: a should come before 'a' consonant and 'an' should come before a vowel.


Erika M. Weinert
Jan 7, 20212 min read
U.S. Capital—I mean U.S. Capitol (Homophones)
I'm sure by now we all know what happened at the U.S. Capitol yesterday. Like me, your news feed is probably filled with mention of it.


Erika M. Weinert
Jan 3, 20211 min read
Book Review: "Birth of the Fae: Locked Out of Heaven" by Danielle M. Orsino
Two factions of angels are locked out of heaven by their creator after heaven's war with Lucifer.

Erika M. Weinert
Dec 24, 20202 min read
The Em Dash — How and When to Use It
Em dashes are often used during an abrupt break in thought. If you read books — pretty much any books — you’ve seen them before.


Erika M. Weinert
Dec 18, 20202 min read
Book Review: "The Cabin at the End of the World" by Paul Tremblay
Paul Tremblay takes a deep dive into the characters of this home-invasion thriller with emphasis on a couple vacationing at a remote cabin i


Erika M. Weinert
Dec 14, 20202 min read
Ergonomics at Home or the Office
Sitting too close to your computer/laptop screen, can be harmful to your health.


Erika M. Weinert
Dec 3, 20202 min read
Your Friend, The Oxford Comma
The serial (Oxford) comma may be a matter of style, but it's still your friend.


Erika M. Weinert
Nov 30, 20201 min read
Book Review: "The Archive of the Forgotten" by A.J. Hackwith
The challenges faced by all in this engrossing novel are suspenseful, leaving a reader wondering, 'Is this it for poor—?'


Erika M. Weinert
Nov 18, 20207 min read
Self-Care in the Age of Covid
With the holidays swiftly approaching, I feel it is a good time to talk about self-care in the age of Covid.


Erika M. Weinert
Nov 9, 20204 min read
"Is it Runned or Ran?" asks her daughter.
Do common spelling and grammar errors in a book reinforce the errors in a child's mind? Perhaps.

Erika M. Weinert
Nov 2, 20202 min read
Sun-kissed mountains, ten-dollar bills, eleven-year-old daughter . . . What do these have in common?
A hyphen is needed between two words that function together as an adjective before the noun they describe.


Erika M. Weinert
Oct 29, 20202 min read
Dangling & Misplaced Modifiers
Dangling and misplaced modifiers. What exactly are they, and how do I avoid using them in my writing?


Erika M. Weinert
Oct 20, 20202 min read
Book Review: "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
It’s old Gods vs. tech Gods in this sci-fi/fantasy blend. With war between the two imminent, a reader begins to wonder whose side to take.


Erika M. Weinert
Oct 15, 20203 min read
Are Spelling Errors Costing You Customers?
If you have a small-business website and you’ve been working on it by yourself, it is likely you have some errors.


Erika M. Weinert
Oct 8, 20202 min read
How Many Spaces After End Punctuation?
Have you ever wondered why you see two spaces after a period in some instances while only one space is used in others?

Erika M. Weinert
Oct 1, 20201 min read
Hello October!
Oh Fall, how I've missed you. October is my favorite month with its autumnal colors found everywhere from deciduous trees to seasonal...

Erika M. Weinert
Sep 21, 20202 min read
Killing Your Darlings (Don't Panic!)
What this means is that anything unrelated to your story's overall plot needs to be revisited with unsentimental objectivity.


Erika M. Weinert
Sep 14, 20201 min read
Book Review: "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman’s writing style has a classy old-world feel to it.


Erika M. Weinert
Sep 7, 20201 min read
Trimming the Fat for Fiction Writers
Are you a writer who feels incredibly out of her depth? When a first-time writer gets close to completing her very first novel, the...


Erika M. Weinert
Aug 31, 20201 min read
Book Review: "Mostly Harmless" by Douglas Adams
After digesting Douglas Adams' fifth and final book in The Hitchhiker's Guide series, "Mostly Harmless," I feel a sense of...
bottom of page