20 Professional Writers to Follow on Instagram

Maybe you’re in it for writing advice. Or maybe you want to know what your favorite writers do in their actual lives. Maybe you just need a distraction and want to look at cats, food, or cartoons, but also want feel a little intellectual while you’re at it.

Don’t fret. Everyone looks at social media for “inspiration,” whether they realize it or not.

Whatever your motivation may be, we’ve gathered twenty of the best Instagram accounts operated by professional writers (or about or related to professional writing).

And the Oscar for Best Grammar Goes to. . .

Every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences creates a Hollywood spectacle to honor the best films, actors, screenwriters, directors, and more. Before the Academy rolls out the red carpet on February 28 to announce 2016’s Oscar winners, we decided to roll out the red pen (metaphorically speaking) and rank the movies, actors, and actresses by how well their fans write when they’re buzzing about them online.

“Do You Write Like an Introvert?” Quiz

Have you ever wondered how introverted or extroverted your work style is? This short quiz will help you understand whether your writing personality tends toward introversion or extroversion.

What kind of writing personality do you have? What parts of writing are easy or challenging for you? Share your stories in the comments.

This Is How to Be More Productive at Everything You Do

There are days when it all comes together for you, but this might not happen to be one of them.

Some days you’re able to just crank through one task after another. Your “sent” folder brims with solid work before noon, your contribution to the afternoon meeting is well received, and you even manage to wrap up with enough time and energy to hit the gym before dinner. If only someone could bottle up days like this, you muse.

5 Holiday Out of Office Messages That Will Make You Smile

Ah, the holidays! The winter festivities mean that many of us get to leave the stress of office life behind. If you’re taking an extended break, you may want to create a holiday out-of-office message to let your contacts know you’ll get back to them just as soon as the eggnog is out of your system and you’ve returned to your desk.

How to Write a Holiday Out-of-Office Message

Within reason, it’s okay to have some fun with your out-of-office message.

Parentheses and Brackets

Parentheses are punctuation marks that are used to set off information within a text or paragraph. Outside the realm of emoticons, parentheses always come in pairs. They can enclose a single word, a phrase, or even an entire sentence. Typically, the words inside the parentheses provide extra information about something else in the sentence.

Curators from the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) have announced a new dinosaur exhibit.

Similes

Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know which one you’re going to get.

Let’s use this example to understand what a simile is:

• A simile is a phrase that uses a comparison to describe. For example, “life” can be described as similar to “a box of chocolates.”
• You know you’ve spotted one when you see the words like or as in a comparison.
• Similes are like metaphors.