Where’s “Waldo”? Find the human in your stories
When my sons were growing up, books were a big part of our life. One memorable series was Where’s Waldo? by Martin Handford. The boys enjoyed scanning the detailed illustrations searching for that one specific individual, the bespectacled Waldo. Company employees are...
How my solo journey unfolded
People are interested in launching their own businesses, but a little nervous about it, too. That’s the not-so-surprising conclusion I took away from this week’s panel discussion about starting an independent business. We had a great turnout, lots of information from...
Psst! Get the insider view of starting a comms business
Nearly 28 years still seems an improbable amount of time that I’ve been out on my own. Astonishing, even. But LinkedIn has done the math, and assures me Get It Write has been operating 27 years and eight months. Oh sure, luck played a role – and tremendous support...
Wordnerdery: Feathers ‘soft as a whisper’ and more expressive writing
Do you want to explain something complicated, spark a flash of understanding or create a feeling? Reach for analogies. Analogies – metaphors and similes, which show how two things are alike – help readers quickly get your meaning. “Tools such as analogies and...
‘Improved experience’? Probably weasel words
Hootsuite has an “improved experience” coming for users. Forgive me for being suspicious (too many years of seeing weasel words in corporate announcements), but I doubt they mean for those of us with free plans. Here’s the message, complete with an odd word choice in...
Back up your files; no, really, do it now
My computer is now back from the shop/hospital/morgue, and you’d be right to say I should have seen this coming. My (formerly) trusty MacBook Pro was ancient, in tech terms – 2010, to be exact. The year sticks in my mind because it was part of my “back to school”...
Wordnerdery: Let songwriters inspire your storytelling
You’ll find some of the best storytellers in the music world. Songwriters use lyrics to create a mood or trigger emotion. They are adept at alliteration, and use rhyme and rhythm to help listeners feel the tale behind the tune. Expressive language gets the point...
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...