by Sue Horner | Mar 28, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
The signs are small, but growing. As I navigate the ice and snow that STILL cover much of the ground, birds are singing. I spotted a cardinal on my walk with Jake this morning, and a robin perched on the rail of my deck. The past three mornings, Jake and I have passed...
by Sue Horner | Mar 26, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Easter was early that year; March 26. I was awake but still in bed when the doorbell rang. It must have been something like 7 a.m., so my parents and I knew something was wrong; we arrived at the door at the same time, throwing on robes. There was a police officer...
by Sue Horner | Mar 22, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
From Encarta’s top 10 business buzzwords: Delayering: A newer, more PC term for “rightsizing,” a.k.a. downsizing. Potato, potahto. It’s still a layoff. Narcissurfing: Googling yourself to see where, when and how often you show up on the...
by Sue Horner | Mar 18, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
While proofreading a client’s newsletter, I flagged this: A person quoted in an article about the switch of IT support to a call centre in India calls the staff “a well-trained, highly incented and duly rewarded group of employees.” UGH! I understand...
by Sue Horner | Mar 16, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Writers love to interview someone who speaks naturally, compares a complex topic or object to something others can relate to and isn’t afraid to share personal feelings or thoughts. It just makes the whole writing process a lot easier. In the corporate world,...
by Sue Horner | Mar 14, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Here’s some of what’s been going on behind the scenes of the happy freelancer: I had a last-minute panic call from a client. An executive did not like an employee newsletter article written by a junior staff writer. Could I listen to a taped conversation...
by Sue Horner | Mar 11, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Today I found Marci Alboher’s New York Times blog Shifting Careers, which highlights “the newfangled ways we are custom-blending careers, and shares tips for doing it better.” Check out the post about the “Web 2.0 resume,” which includes...
by Sue Horner | Mar 10, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
It’s March break here, so Son #2 is blissfully sleeping in until noon as I work. Yes, it’s business as usual at Get It Write central, although I do plan a couple of lunches out this week and will probably drive a couple of teenagers to go snowboarding. Oh...
by Sue Horner | Mar 7, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
“Subprime” was the American Dialect Society’s word of the year (yes, it happened in January so I’m late in posting about it), but the word that had my vote is “Googleganger.” Like doppleganger, it means a person with your name who...
by Sue Horner | Mar 3, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Here’s a great quote on writing (by Ernest Hemingway) that I ran across the other day: “There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it’s like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.” Most...
