Feature structure brings tedious topics to life
When Ian Jones needed to craft a — yawn! — diversity story for employees at Columbia Gas of Virginia, his first instinct was to go with a fact pack.… Read the full article
concrete details
Opioid crisis goes beyond the inverted pyramid
WCB-Alberta uses feature structure to discuss addiction
I love it when my clients send me before-and-after pieces after I present a writing workshop.
For one thing, it’s gratifying to see that people’s writing actually improves after I visit!… Read the full article
Choose stronger words
Move down the ladder of abstraction
“Language that is more concrete and specific creates pictures in the mind of [your] listener, pictures that should come as close as possible to the pictures in your mind.”
— William Lutz, author,
The New Doublespeak: Why No One Knows What Anyone’s Saying Anymore
Want to make your abstract ideas easier to understand?… Read the full article
Attention to detail
Little things mean a lot
New Journalism pioneer Tom Wolfe gave us “The Me Decade,” “The Right Stuff,” “Masters Of the Universe” and other enduring tag lines.… Read the full article
What makes it great?
New York Times spider story shows and tells
The best stories ride up and down the rollercoaster of abstraction, showing for attention, then telling for meaning, then repeating the process again and again.… Read the full article