Your job is to change behavior, not to report news
Might I rant for a moment?
Right this minute, all over the world, communicators are knocking themselves out to deliver organizational news that nobody wants or needs.… Read the full article
Writing process, improvement
How to write to length with story structure
Edit before you write to save hours in the writing process
As a reality TV superfan, I’ve learned a lot about writing from “Project Runway” episodes.… Read the full article
How to research for blog posts, articles
Get good at getting the goods
You’ve heard the phrase “hog in, sausage out.” That means that what you get out of the grinder will be no better than what you put in it.… Read the full article
How to overcome writer’s block
Work with, not against, your brain
I don’t believe in writer’s block. Never had time for it. Blank page? I’ll take two, please. I’ve never met the muse.… Read the full article
What is freewriting in the writing process?
Step 2: Get words on paper
There comes a point in any writing project when you need to follow Ernest Hemingway’s first rule for writers: Apply the seat of your pants to the seat of a chair.… Read the full article
Why is the writing process important?
It helps you write better, easier & faster
When I’m feeling whiny about how hard writing is, I turn to my file of quotes from the pros.… Read the full article
Who rocked our one-sentence-story contest?
Winner is witty, pithy and wise
Last month, I challenged you to model my favorite city magazine, Portland Monthly, and write a one-sentence story. Models included:
“News that Powell’s Books and Rogue Ales are collaborating on a beer infused with actual pages of Moby Dick raises the troubling prospect of 50 Shades of Grey-flavored absinthe.”
“Yamhill’s new high school viticulture program easily trumps the self-taught alcohol curriculum offered at most high schools.”
“History’s most depressing souvenir knickknack arrives: the newly released Portland skyline rain globe.”
Thirteen of you rose to the challenge.… Read the full article
Splitting headache
Are split infinitives still a grammar don’t?
It may be the most famous split infinitive of all time — Star Trek’s opening-sequence voice over:
“To boldly go where no man has gone before”
That’s a split infinitive, because the adverb “boldly” separates, or splits, the verb “to go.”
So, is that OK?… Read the full article
Voice lessons
How to write in the brand voice
Do your brand voice guidelines tell people what to write, but not how?
Let me turn your voice guidelines into a series of writing techniques.… Read the full article
Banish the grammar police
Don’t let the editor in
I definitely agree with American author Robert Cormier who said “The beautiful part of writing is that you don’t have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon.”
When I started writing this piece, I wasn’t sure how to spell Robert Cormier’s last name, and I didn’t know what he’d written.… Read the full article