I like to play games with clients. I don't mean anything nasty by this! Quite the opposite: I play games because it helps make the learning more fun.

Recently, I had a client -- a reporter -- who was having a hard time writing stories.  Continue reading...

More than 30 years ago, when I was completing my undergraduate degree, I found myself in an "open-book" final exam. Talk about the magic of threes... I had to write three essays on three different books in three hours. As allowed, I had lugged into the exam an impossibly tall stack of books.  Continue reading...

Don't you love farce? My fault, I fear. I thought that you'd want what I want. Sorry, my dear. But where are the clowns? Quick, send in the clowns.

OK, I've just broken my number 1 rule of writing by beginning with a direct quote.  Continue reading...

Do you ever find writing is just plain tedious? Have you lost the joy of the endeavor? Does writing suddenly seem more like accounting than something delightful? I received an email recently from someone who told me he'd lost interest in technical writing, which had been his sole means of support for more than 25 years.  Continue reading...

Clear and concise, concise and clear: these are two universal watchwords of good writing. Rightly so, for we writers slave at our desks hoping that readers will get what we’re trying to say with as little fuss or fog as possible. Writing is a window; it can only help us to keep it sparkling clean.  Continue reading...

A reader named Elizabeth asked me the following question:

I am a writer and have two areas of expertise from about six years of combined experience as a copywriter and grant writer. My ultimate dream is to freelance. I have done tons of reading on becoming a freelancer and am talking to dozens of people. I have also joined several relevant professional associations, and am volunteering my time as a writer.  Continue reading...