All about Christmas trees for National Christmas Tree Day
Tomorrow is the first Saturday in December, and that’s National Christmas Tree Day. It’s a perfect day to find out facts about, well, Christmas trees. I’m taking you back to the blog vault for “Fun things to know about Christmas trees.” The post shares an...
4 steps to simplify contract language (Wordnerdery)
In the old days, a handshake was your contract. Today, the hands involved belong to lawyers, and they are all over the simplest of contracts. Unfortunately, as Ohio Judge Mark P. Painter says, “Most legal writing is atrocious.” Forget short, crisp sentences. One...
Email tips you might have missed in my November link roundup
Hello friend, it’s time for another roundup of links you might have missed from posts I’ve shared on social media. This time, our focus is email and our sponsor is Elon Musk. Well, he doesn’t know it. But Twitter’s new overlord inspired me to share a collection...
Fun gifts for writers and readers, 2022 edition
All the Halloween decorations are stashed for the season. American Thanksgiving is on the doorstep. Warm weather on the weekend had neighbours putting up their Christmas lights. Someone I know (not naming names) had a Christmas tree up on November 3. So, it’s time for...
Don’t clog your copy with too many abbreviations
“Text studded with abbreviations is hard to read and unsightly,” says The Canadian Press Stylebook. “Avoid when an option exists.” It’s true you’re being kind to your reader when you explain abbreviations and acronyms.* But too many is, well, too much....
Big bears put big numbers in perspective (Wordnerdery)
Brown bears are big. I mean, BIG. You probably have to guess at the size, but would you guess “seven times the average American adult”? That’s Chunk, at 1,200 pounds the runner-up in the annual Fat Bear Week, October 5 to 11 this year. The winner, Bear 747 (shown...
More writing tips you might have missed in ICYMI, Oct. edition
The latest “Data Never Sleeps” shows the breathtaking amount of data created every minute on the internet: (See the full infographic here.) We’re asking Google questions (5.9 million every minute), uploading to YouTube (500 hours), sharing photos on Instagram...
Networking tips for comms/PR students and new grads
The fall is as much a time of new beginnings as New Year’s. If you’re a PR or communication student, your new beginnings probably include building your network and launching your career. You can do both by making the most of your professional association while you’re...