by Sue Horner | Jan 25, 2018 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Novelists, journalists and corporate communicators have this in common: We all want readers to read our writing. An effective headline sets the stage, but how we open the story or article invites readers in, or sends them scurrying for the door. How do you start? Here...
by Sue Horner | Jan 11, 2018 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
If you’re a word nerd, like me, you probably look forward to the release in early January of the “words of the year” from the previous year. They’re out! In past years, the words chosen were often catchy new portmanteaux – words formed by blending two or more distinct...
by Sue Horner | Jan 4, 2018 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
The wordsmiths at Lake Superior State University in Michigan are at it again. Among the words they’re trying to banish for “Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness” are fake news, gig economy, impactful and unpack. As an unnamed spokesperson said when releasing the...
by Sue Horner | Dec 27, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
As another year comes to a close, I’m looking back at the most-viewed posts on my blog in 2017. Did you miss any of them? As a freelance writer, I often talk about the various aspects of the indie life that I think others may be interested in: Reflecting on marking 26...
by Sue Horner | Dec 20, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
What are your passions? How long have you been in business and why did you start? If you have a business or personal website, sharing more about what makes you tick helps your visitors feel they know you, leading them to like and trust you. That’s why your “About”...
by Sue Horner | Dec 14, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
You can usually spot jargon at less than 10 paces, but it’s fun to have the option of The De-Jargonizer. Plug in a piece of writing, and this handy tool will highlight the jargony words you might want to replace. A report about Toys ’R’ Us executives giving themselves...
by Sue Horner | Dec 6, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Some companies/people are still missing the boat on email. I have lots of evidence from my own in-box: The “From” field: “Unknown sender” (a Black Friday sale that doesn’t inspire confidence) “No reply @” (I guess you don’t want to hear from me?) Subject lines: “No...
by Sue Horner | Nov 30, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Some of my neighbours have had Christmas lights up for weeks. U.S. Thanksgiving is done like turkey dinner, and we’re hurtling towards the Festive Season. So, time for my third annual roundup of gift ideas for writers, readers and word-and-punctuation nerds. 1. “I’m a...
by Sue Horner | Nov 23, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Noise is a big issue around airports. A jet taking off can produce an average of 100 to 120 decibels. That’s as noisy as it is in the front row of a rock concert. If, like airports, your business makes noise that’s affecting your neighbours, you want to show that...
by Sue Horner | Nov 16, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Long? Really long? Or short? You’ll find all kinds of advice on the internet about how long you should make your blog post. This is top of mind these days with the results of Orbit Media’s 2017 survey of 1,000+ bloggers, which show: The average blog post is 1,142...
