Constance Hale
-
The Rumpus Interview with Constance Hale
Constance Hale, who has been called “Marion the Librarian on a Harley, or E. B. White on acid,” talks verbs, literacy in the Digital Age, and why “it’s wrongheaded to think that the path to glory is only through standard…
-
Writing for the Ear
“Language can still be an adventure if we remember that words can make a kind of melody. In novels, news stories, memoirs and even to-the-point memos, music is as important as meaning. In fact, music can drive home the meaning…
-
“Mistakes Were Made”
At The New York Times, Constance Hale continues her writing lessons series with an exploration of the appropriate uses and pitfalls of the notorious passive voice. “…Some of the worst writing around suffers from inert verbs and the unintended use…
-
Make-or-Break
Constance Hale’s New York Times series of writing lessons continues with wisdom on verbs. “Verbs kick-start sentences: Without them, words would simply cluster together in suspended animation. We often call them action words, but verbs also can carry sentiments (love,…
-
Word Choices
At The New York Times, Constance Hale contributes a series of writing lessons. Her latest entry, “Desperately Seeking Synonyms,” zeroes in on the complexities of nouns. “The best writers combine killer nouns and adjectives, and they can make dawn —…