Topic : How to writeWord CountWriters Talk About WritingThe Tyra Banks Approach to Writing September 10, 2008 By Daphne Gray-Grant
Do you have a supermodel you can consult with? Headline notwithstanding, I don't mean Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell or even that inimitable diva, Tyra Banks. (I call this column the Tyra Banks approach because I'm Canadian and irony is in my nature.)
Continue reading...
Article Topics:CandlepowerAd and marketing creativesWhen Less Is More: Twitter for Writers September 4, 2008 By Nancy FriedmanAdvice to aspiring writers usually includes these words: "Write more." More words. More pages. More chapters, poems, articles. But I have a different suggestion: To become a better writer, write less. No, not less frequently. But with fewer words. Lots fewer. As in... no more than 140 characters' worth. What? And why? Continue reading...Article Topics:"Bad Language"A column about writing in businessBeing Human is Overrated (But Not When You are Writing) August 20, 2008 By Matthew Stibbe"Bill Gates once asked me, 'Could you make me more human?' I said, 'Being human is overrated.'" This doubly priceless quote comes from Mark Penn, Hillary Clinton's former campaign strategist. (Hat tip: The Atlantic.) When it comes to writing copy, the human touch is still vital. Here are some tips for making copy that reads like a human being wrote it. Continue reading... Article Topics:Word CountWriters Talk About WritingAre You Willing to Talk About the Elephant in the Room? August 11, 2008 By Daphne Gray-Grant
A friend of mine recently did something dangerous. No, she didn't ride a motorcycle up a mountain during a lightning storm, try bungee jumping off a bridge or attempt to go windsurfing with belugas. Here's her confession: When submitting an RFQ she included a brief personal essay.
Continue reading...
Article Topics:If you're thinking of putting your life story on the page, these books can help guide your autobiographical endeavors. Article Topics:Word CountWriters Talk About WritingFive Reasons Why You Must Murder Your Darlings July 21, 2008 By Daphne Gray-GrantI have a close friend, whose work I have helped edit for more than 20 years. He likes to say that my job is to review his writing, find the very best parts and then remove them. He is half joking. But only half. In my defense, I will say that I am simply following the advice of British journalist, critic, and novelist Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, who said: "Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it — wholeheartedly — and delete it before sending your manuscript to press. Murder your darlings." Continue reading...Article Topics:CandlepowerAd and marketing creativesVocab Lab: If Left to My Own Poetic Devices... July 17, 2008 By Julia Rubiner
I love the assonance in my name, the repeated long "u" sound in Julia Rubiner. Which isn't to say I haven't daydreamed that my name is Julia Jubiner (or for that matter, in the manner of Scooby Doo, Rulia Rubiner) because then I'd enjoy both assonance and alliteration, two of my favorite poetic devices, and, as I've learned in my copywriting work, two great tastes that taste great together (the writer who coined that phrase on behalf of Reese's to describe the relationship between peanut butter and chocolate clearly knew a thing or two about assonance).
Continue reading...
Article Topics: |
 |
