Sue’s newsletter
Wordnerdery is a monthly newsletter with tips on writing, words, newsletters and more.
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Past Issues
Issue 139 – September 2024: Don’t make readers do the math! 4 ways to explain numbers
Issue 138 – August 2024: 7 steps to trim and tone flabby writing
Issue 137 – July 2024: An “aggressive stapler’ + more super similes
Issue 136 – June 2024; How comms pros can be more effective allies
Issue 135 – May 2024: Short words are a shortcut to understanding
Issue 134 – April 2024: Be clear to keep it confidential (a ‘Before & After’)
Issue 133 – March 2024: An Oscar class in context
Issue 132 – February 2024: A ‘turtle Fitbit’ and more marvellous metaphors
Issue 131 – January 2024: Making sense of long sentences (before & after)
Issue 130 – December 2023: Life lessons from my granddaughter
Issue 129 – November 2023: The poetic power of music in trying times
Issue 128 – October 2023: Plain language keeps it clear
Issue 127 – September 2023: What’s old is new again
Issue 126 – August 2023: A (Taylor) Swift look at numbers
Issue 125 – July 2023: Before & after: Dissecting a 5K waiver
Issue 124 – June 2023: Sharpies as a simile and more expressive writing
Issue 123 – May 2023: 5 ways to touch hearts by following the songwriter’s lead
Issue 122 – April 2023: Four minutes to weasel words
Issue 121 – March 2023: Don’t freak out about ChatGPT
Issue 120 – February 2023: ‘The brain’s Jiminy Cricket’ + more marvellous metaphors
Issue 119 – January 2023: Be kind and translate your Terms of Use
Issue 118 – December 2022: Christmas flashbacks to ‘life is short’ musings
Issue 117 – November 2022: Cut contract confusion (before & after)
Issue 116 – October 2022: How big are bears? Perspective makes it plain
Issue 115 – September 2022: Clear the way to better writing
Issue 114 – August 2022: Weasel words only get you in deeper trouble
Issue 113 – July 2022: Are companies embracing DEI?
Issue 112 – June 2022: Set the stage for effective employee announcements
Issue 111 – May 2022: An empty gas tank + more pandemic analogies
Issue 110 – April 2022: 5 ways to make environmental comms clear
Issue 109 – March 2022: Break the ‘Curse of Knowledge’
Issue 108 – February 2022: A ‘Post-it note’ for the brain + more analogies
Issue 107 – January 2022: Want feedback? Get to the point
Issue 106 – December 2021: 54 ways to be kind
Issue 105 – November 2021: How to set your survey up for success
Issue 104 – October 2021: How comms + PR people can make a difference to DEI
Issue 103 – September 2021: ‘Spaghetti on a plate’ + more pandemic analogies
Issue 102 – August 2021: 9 tips for writing bulleted lists
Issue 101 – July 2021: 5 ways to help make numbers make sense
Issue 100 – June 2021: Newsletters are back (or they never left)
Issue 99 – May 2021: Asking people to sign a release? Make it readable
Issue 98 – April 2021: Walking on Lego + more COVID-19 analogies
Issue 97 – March 2021: So what if you dangle your modifier?
Issue 96 – February 2021: It’s a Zoom world; warm up your words to match
Issue 95 – January 2021: #WFH means internal newsletters need to be more helpful in 2021
Issue 94 – December 2020: Apt analogies related to COVID-19
Issue 93 – November 2020: More comms that’s working during COVID-19
Issue 92 – October 2020: Comms during COVID-19: What’s working?
Issue 91 – September 2020: 5 lessons writers can learn from hiking the Bruce Trail
Issue 90 – August 2020: Reel in reader attention with captions that captivate
Issue 89 – July 2020: 34 ways to kick ‘unprecedented’ to the curb
Issue 88 – June 2020: 15 ways to get to the heart of headlines
Issue 87 – May 2020: 9+ tips to overcome imposter syndrome
Issue 86 – April 2020: How to make numbers make sense, COVID-19 edition
Issue 85 – March 2020: 4 strategies to communicate during social distancing
Issue 84 – February 2020: The inside view of comms, part 5 (member comms at RTO)
Issue 83 – January 2020: The ‘cooling power of a cat yawning’ and more metaphor magic
Issue 82 – December 2019: Life is short; eat the shortbread
Issue 81 – November 2019: Make ‘terms of service’ readable
Issue 80 – October 2019: CEO support fosters great internal comms
Issue 79 – September 2019: The inside view of employee comms, part 4 (with a look at PepsiCo Foods Canada)
Issue 78 – August 2019: Print’s not dead
Issue 77 – July 2019: The inside view of employee comms, part 3 (with a look inside Chartwell Retirement Residences)
Issue 76 – June 2019: The inside view of employee comms, part 2 (with best practices for e-newsletters)
Issue 75 – May 2019: The inside view of employee comms, part 1 (all about e-newsletters with Bananatag)
Issue 74 – April 2019: Words as Legos + more expressive language
Issue 73 – March 2019: 8 ways to make numbers meaningful
Issue 72 – February 2019: 8 reasons to keep e-newsletters in your comms toolbox
Issue 71 – January 2019: 8 ways to keep your New Year’s resolutions on track
Issue 70 – December 2018: Life is short: A Christmas reminder
Issue 69 – November 2018: Look for words that count people in
Issue 68 – October 2018: Think plain to make complex writing more readable
Issue 67 – September 2018: Cat’s + other apostrophe follies (for National Punctuation Day)
Issue 66 – August 2018: Feathers ‘soft as a whisper’ and more expressive writing
Issue 65 – July 2018: Let songwriters inspire your storytelling
Issue 64 – June 2018: Take steps to make legal statements readable
Issue 63 – May 2018: 9 ways to ace your endings
Issue 62 – April 2018: 3 ways to give numbers the context they need
Issue 61 – March 2018: Find your focus in the nut graf
Issue 60 – February 2018: Short attention span? Looks like a job for expressive writing
Issue 59 – January 2018: 8 ways to reel in your reader
Issue 58 – December 2017: Your “About” page is the place to get personal
Issue 57 – November 2017: Are you really explaining? Readability tests tell all
Issue 56 – October 2017: 10 tips for an effective non-profit newsletter
Issue 55 – September 2017: Citing Indigenous people? 10 ways to show respect
Issue 54 – August 2017: Hook your reader with compelling captions
Issue 53 – July 2017: 8 ways to get through the approval process
Issue 52 – June 2017: 5 reasons you should still embrace print
Issue 51 – May 2017: Employees need the inside scoop from leaders
Issue 50 – April 2017: How to keep your marketing e-newsletter in the spotlight
Issue 49 – March 2017: Take the dull out of digits
Issue 48 – February 2017: ‘Content as a Russian doll’ and more expressive writing
Issue 47 – January 2017: 7 ways to sabotage your employee e-newsletter
Issue 46 – December 2016: Let go of the stocking to live in the moment
Issue 45 – November 2016: Is Trump the new poster boy for plain language?
Issue 44 – October 2016: Interviews that get to the core of the story
Issue 43 – September 2016: How often to publish your employee newsletter
Issue 42 – August 2016: 4 steps to meaningful mission statements
Issue 41 – July 2016: 9 steps to readable writing
Issue 40 – June 2016: How to make numbers meaningful
Issue 39 – May 2016: Rhyme and rhythm: Musicians know how to write
Issue 38 – April 2016: 3 ways to spark interest with expressive writing
Issue 37 – March 2016: 7 deadly sins of e-newsletters
Issue 36 – February 2016: ‘Insight as a cat’ & more expressive writing
Issue 35 – January 2016: Jargon? Pin that Jell-O to the wall
Issue 34 – December 2015: How to make resolutions you’ll keep
Issue 33 – November 2015: 5 Pinterest pointers for small business
Issue 32 – October 2015: Frightened? Good, that’s one way to grow
Issue 31 – September 2015: 5 tips for saying you’re sorry
Issue 30 – August 2015: 7 tips for inclusive writing about disabilities
Issue 29 – July 2015: 7 steps to spin straw into gold
Issue 28 – June 2015: 7 tips for non-profit annual reports
Issue 27 – May 2015: Get an ‘aha’ moment with analogy
Issue 26 – April 2015: 4 ways to simplify your sustainability report
Issue 25 – March 2015: How to reach “non-desk” employees
Issue 24 – February 2015: Is print dead?
Issue 23 – January 2015: Why newsletters still have value
Issue 22 – December 2014: Linguistic cicadas, a six-car pileup of clichés and other expressive writing
Issue 21 – November 2104: Launching a newsletter? Here are some ideas on content.
Issue 20 – October 2014: Tips for writing for impatient readers (and aren’t we all?)
Issue 19 – September 2014: Tips for getting and using quotes
Issue 18 – August 2014: Don’t gas your readers with jargon monoxide
Issue 17 – July 2014: The expressive language of loss
Issue 16 – June 2014: What the new anti-spam law means for newsletters
Issue 15 – May 2014: Use plain language to boost readability
Issue 14 – April 2014: How often should you publish your newsletter?
Issue 13 – March 2014: ‘Dumpster diving in the Internet’ and other expressive writing
Issue 12 – February 2014: Do’s and don’ts for email newsletters
Issue 11 – January 2014: 13 content ideas for association newsletters
Issue 10 – December 2013: Looking for your thoughts on IABC WC14
Issue 9 – November 2013: How to make a 105-word sentence readable
Issue 8 – October 2013: Writing lessons from Dancing With The Stars
Issue 7 – September 2013: What dogs can teach us about communications
Issue 6 – August 2013: 5 writing tips from musicians
Issue 5 – July 2013: 7 writing tips from Sesame Street
Issue 4 – June 2013: An ‘orthographical fig leaf’ and other expressive writing
Issue 3 – May 2013: Tips for great interviews
Issue 2 – April 2013: Fight for readability
Issue 1 – March 2013: Dig to find newsletter content
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The Red Jacket Diaries blog
My take on writing, communications and the independent life. Here are the latest posts: