Subscriber Larry Oakner graciously sent us this terrific piece on branding -- and how the Visual Thesaurus can help. Read it carefully: Larry's been building brands for over three decades and is the author of And Now a Few Laughs from Our Sponsor. Thanks Larry! -- Editor

How do you describe a personality? You might call a witty conversationalist "clever." Your friend who bungee jumps? "Courageous" or even "fearless." The grandfather who counseled you on life's mysteries? "Wise," of course. We differentiate people's personalities by using words that describe their actions that set them apart. Branding works the same way.

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What kind of writing works best on the web? Crawford Kilian has the answer. The author of the blog Writing for the Web, he offers solid advice on how best to communicate on websites. Check out his entry here.

Last month we talked to novelist Laurel Dewey about her invaluable techniques for charting a novel, which got a huge response from Visual Thesaurus readers. Well, Laurel, we can't get enough of you! We called her again, this time to ask how she crafted such memorable dialogue in her novel Protector. Laurel graciously shared her writing secrets:  Continue reading...

The Baltimore Sun's chief copy editor John McIntyre publishes an excellent blog on language and usage called You Don't Say. He recently posted a list of "other people who are writing intelligently and practically about language." Check out:

Style and Substance

Common Sense Journalism

Verbal Energy

The Editor's Desk

For the last year or so, I've been learning Dutch and trying to study for my commercial pilot's license. When I was at school, I had the time but not the enthusiasm. Now I have enthusiasm but no time. Surely, there are some neat tricks, technology and tactics I can use. This is what I've tried so far. If you have any other suggestions, PLEASE let me know!  Continue reading...

These novels all won prestigious awards and well-earned heaps of praise. Fodder for your next book club read?

The Echo Maker (National Book Award)

Copper Sun (Coretta Scott King Award)

Spin (Hugo Award for science fiction)

The Janissary Tree (Edgar Award for mystery)

The Triangle shirtwaist factory fire of 1911 was always a source of morbid fascination for me when I was a child growing up in New York City. My father's mother had worked at the Triangle Waist Company in 1909, finishing buttonholes, and while she had left the sweatshop more than a year before the notorious fire that claimed some 150 lives (to marry and give birth to my father in the back of a grocery store in Brooklyn), that fire felt like an event in my family history. She could have died in the fire.  Continue reading...