Flex your editing muscles to tighten flabby reports
Writing experts agree that you should write first, edit later. Ann Handley calls this embracing “the Ugly First Draft.” For Anne Lamott, it’s “the shitty first draft;” for Daphne Gray-Grant, “the crappy first draft.” But at some point you need to wrestle that first...
The best of the blog so far in 2018
Somewhere along my 11 years of blogging, I started sharing the most-read blog posts part way through the year and at year-end. So now that we’ve already hit mid-year (how is that possible?), here are a half-dozen of them so far in 2018. I’m often inspired to blog...
How to earn trust in an untrusting world
Content may be king, but relationships are royalty, according to Dan Tisch, APR, of Argyle Public Relationships. In a talk at IABC/Toronto’s annual general meeting, Dan noted that public relations and communications people should let others focus on churning out...
It’s true, you CAN make legal statements readable (Wordnerdery)
Are you a Fitbit fan? I am. I’ve been wearing the step tracker since December 2014, and it encourages me to look for reasons to take a few extra steps, like parking further away from a store or the train station, or taking the long way home after a short walk with...
In a job transition? 7 steps to update your LinkedIn profile
You may have left a job, or you’re looking for a new job with a different focus. Maybe you retired but are still open for something new, even if you aren’t actively looking. It’s time to update your LinkedIn profile. I’ve been helping a friend do just that, and...
Why walk when you can fly?
Our neighbourhood is atwitter (sorry) with robins this spring. One scurried along the sidewalk ahead of me the other day, tiny legs flashing, just edging out of my way. “Why would you walk when you can fly?” I wondered. It suddenly hit me that we could ask ourselves...
So many ways to get words wrong
Stumbling over a few misused words recently brought to mind the 1987 movie, The Princess Bride. Vezzini (Wallace Shawn), the “mastermind” hired to kidnap the princess, constantly describes unfolding events as “inconceivable.” Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) says, “You...
Wordnerdery: 9 ways to ace your endings
So, you’ve crafted an interesting opening to your story, article, blog post or other writing. You’ve taken readers through the details and why the piece is important. Don’t let your writing screech to a halt as if you’ve hit a dead end sign. “From our earliest years,...