The Expert Editor’s editorial blog covers writing, editing, language, and the human side of communication — the same subjects our editors work with every day. Every article is reviewed by the editors on our masthead before publication.
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Featured articles
How grammar and punctuation became subtle social signals
Editor’s note: This article was reviewed and updated in July 2026 to meet Expert Editor’s latest editorial standards. Send a text that ends with a period, and something…
100 editing and proofreading tips for writers
Editor’s note: This article was reviewed and updated in July 2026 to meet Expert Editor’s latest editorial standards. Editing and proofreading are vital for producing great writing. But…
9 books every writer should read at least once
Editor’s note: this article was substantially revised in July 2026. The reading list now focuses on books about writing and editing, which is what we do. See our…
The ultimate flowchart for finding your next book
Editor’s note: This article was reviewed and updated in July 2026 to meet Expert Editor’s latest editorial standards. Ah, summertime (in the northern hemisphere at least!). That blissfully…
George Orwell’s 6 rules for writing were too absolute. Here’s a more flexible version
Editor’s note: This article was reviewed and updated in July 2026 to meet Expert Editor’s latest editorial standards. George Orwell’s essay Politics and the English Language, published in…
16 easy ways to unleash your creativity (Infographic)
Editor’s note: This article was reviewed and updated in July 2026 to meet Expert Editor’s latest editorial standards. Only 25% of people believe they’re living up to their…
Writing & Editing
How to write clearly and precisely: grammar, editing craft, proofreading, and thesis, essay, and academic writing guides.
Copyedit vs proofread vs structural edit: which your draft actually needs
Most people who ask us for “a proofread” don’t want a proofread. They want their writing to be good, and proofreading is the word…
How grammar and punctuation became subtle social signals
Editor’s note: This article was reviewed and updated in July 2026 to meet Expert Editor’s latest editorial standards. Send a text that ends with…
How to earn money as a writer (infographic)
Editor’s note: This article was reviewed and updated in July 2026 to meet Expert Editor’s latest editorial standards. Writers are in demand across more…
100 editing and proofreading tips for writers
Editor’s note: This article was reviewed and updated in July 2026 to meet Expert Editor’s latest editorial standards. Editing and proofreading are vital for…
Language & Reading
Vocabulary, words, books, and reading culture: what we read and how language shapes the way we think.
Australian vs American vs British English: a writer’s style guide
An Australian writer sits down to write for an international audience and immediately hits a decision most people never consciously make: which English? The…
9 books every writer should read at least once
Editor’s note: this article was substantially revised in July 2026. The reading list now focuses on books about writing and editing, which is what…
12 words worth knowing — and what they teach you about precision
Editor’s note: This article was reviewed and updated in July 2026 to focus on how these words work in writing. See our corrections policy.…
Infographic: the reading habits of millennials
Editor’s note: This article was reviewed and updated in July 2026 to meet Expert Editor’s editorial standards. Some statistics may have been updated since…
The Writer’s Mind
The working experience of writing: perfectionism, procrastination, imposter syndrome, and creative blocks — and how writers work through them.
Procrastination isn’t a discipline problem: what editors see in the drafts of chronic deadline-missers
The manuscript arrives three weeks late, and the covering email always says the same thing: “Sorry — I’ve been so busy.” But editors see…
What forty years of marking maths papers taught me about giving feedback on writing
I marked mathematics papers for the better part of four decades — first as a teacher, later as an assistant principal who still couldn’t…
Perfectionism is an editing problem: Why “one more pass” is where manuscripts go to die
Every editor knows the manuscript. It arrives with an apology attached: the author has been working on it for four years, has rewritten the…
Imposter syndrome and the first-time thesis writer
The email that accompanies a first thesis draft is a genre of its own. It apologises for the draft’s existence before describing it. It…