I'm not a complete grammar Nazi. I'm willing to forgive people some grammar blunders (affect vs. effect can be tough even for those in the know!). But there are some fundamental grammatical choices every high school graduate should be able to correctly make without blinking an eye. 

Sure, they might sound the same (homophones are fun!), but to, too, and two, for example, shouldn't present an actual predicament. Same for they're, there, and their. All six of these words are basics in the English language. Sure, if you're typing quickly and just trying to get the words on the page, your fingers might lead you in the wrong direction. That's what proofing's for. 

Sadly, however, a fella hired as a copywriter at a well-known advertising agency has had to have "to/two/too" explained to him. (Not once, I believe, but twice, even.) How does someone graduate college (let alone land a job as a senior copywriter at a national agency) without actually understanding the nuances of to/two/too? 

Luckily, there are portable and handy references that can help folk with some of those trickster words. If you (or your malaprop-loving cube mate) are into coffee or tea, perhaps this set of grammar mugs will do the trick. Or maybe the humor of The Oatmeal will work better: You could buy this "ten misspellings" link in the form of a frame-worthy poster.  Or if games help you learn the best, perhaps this one from Grammar Girl will be your new best friend (accessible on iPhone and iPad). 

Whichever you choose for you or someone you know, hopefully, it can help rid the world of pesky, silly mistakes, one small sentence at a time. 

I recently undertook a noteworthy exercise. On my Facebook status, I posted, "Like this and I'll say something nice about you." 

Admittedly, I was a little nervous at first, fearing that I might not be able to come up with things to say. But then the likes started rolling in, and I found I had no troubles. 

And I'll tell you what. I had FUN. I was energized. I loved the exercise, and I loved the opportunity to write nice responses to and about my friends. 

A few days later, a couple of my friends complimented my writing in that status, saying that they didn't think they could have written compliments so well. Confused about why they might think that, I read back over what I'd done. And really, I have to say, it was good. But I can tell you right now that it wasn't good because I'm a writer. Anyone could have written it well. Even those afraid of writing.

Want to know my secret? I told the truth. 

Yep. That's the dirty heart of it. The key to good writing. The truth. Whether you're writing a presentation, an essay for a class, an email to a coworker, or a fictional short story or novel, the best way to write it well is to tell the truth--about your message, about your feelings, about the character. Tell the truth, and the words will come, no matter how hard it is to share.  Avoid the truth, and the words get stuck. 

Gut-check yourself next time you struggle with writing something. Are you telling the whole truth? Do you know the whole truth? If you answer "no" to either of those questions, you know what you need to change. And once you do, the words--and the writing--should come much easier.