by Sue Horner | May 4, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Have you noticed the use of somewhat dated phrases in modern copy? While they are interesting, I wonder if the reader’s eyes just skip right over the words without registering them. Here are a few examples: “Above the fold” when referring to a web...
by Sue Horner | Apr 9, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
(Updated July 31, 2018) If ever there was encouragement to stay away from the overused word “unique” (not to mention “very unique”), here it is. At least 48,095 news releases used it in 2008. (It’s less common in 2018, but don’t kid yourself; it’s still out there.)...
by Sue Horner | Mar 2, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
For your reading pleasure, more examples of clever writers getting a specific point across: “Guys like Bruce were as common as white socks sold in six packs at the Wal-Mart.” – Jennifer Weiner in Good in Bed “Abiding by the rules worked until...
by Sue Horner | Jan 12, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
You can’t argue with the Publication Coach, Daphne Grey-Grant, when she encourages writers to use metaphors. “They add interest, colour and power to your writing,” she says. “As readers, we all do better when we can visualize something concrete.” I keep a file...
by Sue Horner | Dec 11, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Here’s one for those of you who “dislike” when misguided “writers” apply quotation marks with wild abandon: Mark DiCristina’s “Blog” of “unnecessary” quotation marks (misinterpreting bad punctuation since...
by Sue Horner | Dec 2, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
I read somewhere a plea not to use the tired ‘Tis the season in either a headline or an opening sentence. Having read that, I’m noticing that as the “holiday season” (as so many love to call it) approaches, that impulse is out there, growing...
by Sue Horner | Nov 25, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Some of the writing I do for Big Client #1 goes to American readers as well as Canadian. All along, the articles have gone on separate pages, so we stuck to American spelling with things written specifically for the U.S. page and Canadian spelling for the Canucks. Now...
by Sue Horner | Nov 19, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Christmas catalogues are landing in the mailbox about as fast as the two maple trees next door dropped all their leaves last week. Today’s specimen: Lee Valley Tools. The company is based in Ottawa, but they have a dozen locations across Canada and a thriving...
by Sue Horner | Oct 30, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Do you read the fine print? I read everything, and I love that some creative types reward people like me. For example: Andy Wibbels offers to send his blog posts by e-mail, and when he does, it has this note at the bottom: “All Rights Reserved. Please forward to...
by Sue Horner | Sep 18, 2008 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Having just edited a client’s news release, I found David Meerman Scott’s recent post on weasel words, gobbledygook, jargon and other baloney quite topical! (Check it out for some awful examples of what not to write.) The release I worked on started out in...
