When you write full time, it's very easy to fall into bad habits without realizing it's happening. Like the clutter in your house, which eventually becomes "invisible," you don't see the mistakes and glitches in your own copy.

So how do you improve your writing? Here are my five proven methods -- all of which I use regularly.

 Continue reading...

So you have a new product, service or company that's a winner. Now what do you call it? How can you come up with a name as memorable as Amazon, Google, or BlackBerry? Professional namers like me help clients create names that tell strong, credible stories... But if you'd like to try your own hand at naming -- or just understand how this mysterious world works -- here are some tips to help you think like a professional name developer.

 Continue reading...

Early in my marketing communications (marcom) career, my supervisor gave me a pretty typical writing assignment. "This datasheet needs to be written pronto. Here's some information -- it should give you everything you need." I looked over the material and thought, "How am I supposed to write a datasheet using this? I don't even know what this product is!" Being new at the job, I didn't want to appear "dumb" by asking too many questions.

 Continue reading...

You already know that stories are the foundation of comic books, novels, biographies, and screenplays. Here's what may not seem so obvious: the principles of storytelling are equally as important in successful business communications.

 Continue reading...

Writers write, designers design, right? Not so fast, says Derek Powazek. The designer of award-winning websites and an accomplished writer and photographer, his company publishes JPG, a photography magazine that's both a community-driven website and a printed publication. Derek says it's critical for designers to think about writing, too. He spoke to us about the connection:

 Continue reading...

Naming can seem mysterious because it's ridden with myths. And when a name-seeker approaches the naming process armed with myth rather than truth, the myth inevitably gets in the way. So let's take a few minutes to examine ten common myths about name development.

 Continue reading...

When Erin Caldwell was a senior at Auburn University in Alabama she wanted to learn more about public relations, her major, than what she got from the classroom. So she launched a website called Forward-Moving that brings together PR novices with the salty veterans of the trade. The website was a hit, popular with students and young PR professionals who use it to gain practical, real-world advice on all sides of the business -- including writing for public relations. Which, naturally, is what we discussed with Erin, who now works at a major public relations firm in Washington, DC:

 Continue reading...