Topic : How to writeWord CountWriters Talk About WritingWhy Fiction is Better than Truth    October 15, 2008You're 13 years old. It's a warm autumn Saturday and you're stuck at home, sprawled across the living-room couch, while all your friends are busy. "Mom," you say — dragging out the word to three syllables. "I'm bored. I have nothing to do." "Go read a book," she says tartly. And you roll your eyes. Mothers just don't get it. Continue reading...Article Topics:CandlepowerAd and marketing creativesFor Effective Copywriting, Focus on Your Customer, Not on Your Company  September 15, 2008A while ago I ran across a website written by a management consultant whose target audience included high-level executives. The home page copy was full of "I, I, I," as in "I do this, I do that, I was educated here, I've worked for these companies," blah, blah, blah. Here's the plain truth: no one cares about you or your company. Continue reading...Article Topics:Word CountWriters Talk About WritingThe Tyra Banks Approach to Writing September 10, 2008
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, 2008Advice 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"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
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: |
 Other Topics:AdvertisingBlogsBooksBrandingBusiness writingCopywritingCreativityDictionariesFiction writingFunGrammarHow to writeLanguageLanguage artsLibrariesLinguisticsLinguistsMarketingMarketing copyMediaNamingOnlinePoetryPoliticsPublic relationsPuzzleReadingSelf-publishingSpellingStorytellingStudentsTeachersTeachingUsageVisual ThesaurusWeb toolsWord OriginsWordMastersWordsWriter's blockWritersWritingYoung readers |
