Welcome to another roundup of links you might have missed from posts I’ve shared on social media! In this edition, you’ll find plenty of writing tips, including some specific to storytelling, and one fascinating story about squirrels.
STORYTELLING
How to turn numbers into compelling stories, including look for patterns and trends and put a face on your data, by Tom Corfman.
Five steps to telling your story fast, starting with “Tell what happened in an 8-word headline,” by Ann Wylie.
Ha, this is so me and many Boomers and Millennials I know. “Anything after 9 requires a permission slip from that part of me that needs to be in the hotel bed watching Love It or List It by 9 PM.” Read on for Ann Handley’s view of good content telling a true story well.
10 tips for telling better stories with data (because ‘data without insights is chaos’). By Allison Carter for PR Daily.
OTHER WRITING TIPS
Josh Bernoff is right; if someone is going to say “experiential experience,” the writer hearing it has a duty NOT to quote it.
Since websites are sometimes the only way the public interacts with government agencies, “it’s our duty to deliver a well-designed & helpful online experience,” says Digital.Gov. Start improving in these four areas (like correct and current content) to increase the trustworthiness of your site.
“Let your hands do the thinking. You can raise your standards during revision.” This and other ways to write faster when you need to crank something out are shared by Roy Peter Clark.
“Most news stories are endings without beginnings attached. The feature story focuses more on what it took to get to that end.” Jim Ylisela on the elements of a strong feature story.
I love this thought about transitions between sections of your writing: “I want my work to be analogous to one of those moving walkways at the airport, where you just step on and you’re moving steadily forward and it’s a pleasant experience.” Tips for editing your own work are in this classic from The Open Notebook.
…AND ONE FASCINATING READ
The compellingly written tale of a squirrel census in Atlanta by Keren Landman via Vox and Rob Walker’s Art of Noticing.
What other helpful, interesting or insightful posts have you found online? Please share in the comments or send me an email.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash.
Related reading:
More tips for diversity and inclusion
Deciphering jargon and using plain language
BLOT, badjectives and better headlines among more writing tips