VS Grenier ~ Award-Winning Author, Speaker & Podcaster

When I decided to start critiquing, and later do freelance editing, I realized I needed to hone my grammar and punctuation skill set. Unlike most people who set out to be writers, English was not my favorite subject in school. In fact, I have talked about how I repeated 9th grade English three times in high school. Not because I didn't understand the class, I just plan out hated English class and didn't go half the time. I don't know about you, but I found learning the basic rules of English boring. However, here I am today much older and wiser with an understanding about how important it is to know the basic rules of grammar and punctuation when writing. Now I'm not saying you need to know all the ins and outs of grammar, style and punctuation. In fact, the rules do change from time to time and from publisher to publisher. But having a basic understanding will help you with your writing career. One of the ways, besides going back to school to brush up on my Engli

Jo Linsdell writes about Italy, pregnancy and parenting, marketing (She LOVES social media) and the writing industry. Linsdell enjoyed writing since she could hold a pen in her hand but officially started her writing career in 2006. Since then, Linsdell has worked for numerous clients around the world and won a few awards along the way too. She has also published several books including the popular "Italian for Tourists" phrase book.   VS: What do you do to help balance your writing life with your family life?   Jo: It's not easy but I try to make time for both everyday. I always have a to-do list written up for each day and make sure it includes both work and family based tasks. A trip to the park with my kids is right up there with writing a new chapter or carrying out marketing tasks. I think when you love doing something you make the time for it in your life regardless.   VS: How long have you been writing? Jo: