Melissa Maygrove

Here's a quick and relevant usage lesson... Empathy vs Sympathy Empathy (n.) is an intellectual identification with another person's feelings, thoughts, or attitudes because one can relate to their situation. Sympathy (n.) means having a general compassion for; feeling sorry for.  And then there's s ympathies (n.), which means support or loyalty. I wish I knew where his sympathies lie . 

Grammar's a pretty picky subject, and I'm sure some of my Monday posts make me seem condescending. Believe it or not, I'm softer hearted than I seem. I generally give people the benefit of the doubt ( sometimes to a fault ) and I try very hard not to be harsh, especially when it comes to not-yet-published works. A work in progress is exactly that, a work in progress , and none of us are perfect. I've critiqued single subs for countless writers, and I've line-by-lined entire novels for a handful of folks. One thing I've learned from the longer-term relationships is that every writer has at least one grammar weak spot —myself included !