It turns out there was more to the writer’s block I wrote about in my November newsletter than the need for a simple recharge. That block prompted me to do a little more soul-searching. Once the thought of “Should I keep publishing or end it?” popped into my head, it stuck.
The end of the year seemed like the right time to put a bow on Wordnerdery.
Of course, I couldn’t wrap it up without a fond look back.
The December issue notes that when I launched Wordnerdery, a number of my clients had hired me to write for their employee newsletters. I loved newsletters, still do, and it made sense that I would have my own newsletter that would touch on some common topics. The very first issue talked about how to dig up interesting content for newsletters.
I also talked about readability and the best ways to achieve it: cut the average sentence length, avoid jargon and use familiar words. I shared writing tips from musicians, Sesame Street, Dancing With the Stars, hiking the Bruce Trail and more. I delved into plain language and gave dense writing the “before & after” treatment. I shared terrific metaphors and other expressive language, like “linguistic cicadas.”
But four end-of-year issues that came from the heart drew the most comments, with reminders to live in the moment, shine a light of kindness and more.
Read all about them in December Wordnerdery.
Thank you for opening and spending some time with this newsletter over the years. Thank you for your kind comments and sharing your thoughts. Thank you, and please stay in touch.