Did You Learn Writing The “Right” Way?
A lot of us learned the “conventional” way: via English teacher, sentence diagrams, vocabulary exercises, and spelling tests. There isn’t much that’s conventional about me, though, and although I endured the usual classes for a few years in elementary, I largely leapfrogged the classic English lessons via gifted and AP English. This meant that for years I couldn’t point out a past participle or label subjunctive clauses in sentences. To the New York State Education...
Read MoreWhat If Writer’s Block Didn’t Exist?
Yesterday was another thoughtful #WrMatters chat, during which Michelle Baker opened up a discussion about a current problem for her: procrastination and writer’s block. We all know what it is, and anyone who’s had trouble writing has tried all kinds of wacky tips to break through the wall erected by a muse that just doesn’t want to be bothered. Michelle Walkden replied: #wrmatters @corpwritingpro I don’t believe in writer’s block. But I’m an ex-journo where...
Read MoreRespect For Your Readers
Today we’ll be talking about proofreading and editing, two processes that communicate our respect for our reader. #WrMatters — L. Michelle Baker (@corpwritingpro) June 14, 2012 That tweet from Michelle Baker kicked off yesterday’s #WrMatters chat about writing for businesses and professionals, and I think it deserves a place on every writer’s wall. We complain about writing that doesn’t read well, or that is full of typos, or that never seems to get to the point. We...
Read MoreHow Writing Short Can Trip You Up
We tend to think, re-think, and over-think the monsters of written work in our daily lives. The yearly quality control report, the company newsletter, the ebook–they all demand gobs of obsessive attention. But how about the short ones–the ones you write and send without a moment’s thought, the ones that are too routine to merit a second look? They may be quicker to execute, but they can still trip you up. These were the subject of yesterday’s #WrMatters chat, where we...
Read MoreCopywriting Process? What Copywriting Process?
Yesterday’s #WrMatters Twitter chat with Michelle Baker centered on the writing processes professionals use to create those complicated research reports, spiffy whitepapers, and shiny promotional materials that make businesses large and small go ’round. Wait, really? You mean you don’t just squirt it out of your creative organ and neaten it up on Word? Yes. Really. I mean, no, I don’t. Most of the time, anyway. As Michelle said during the chat, for very small or rote...
Read MoreBeyond Fear: A Closer Look At Why You’re Writing
Dedicated creative writers tend to write because they feel compelled to. They “hear voices” in their heads. They have “too much built up inside.” They feel ”something needs to be said.” Often, the need to express themselves with words is as necessary as breathing. But we business writers–who write things like email campaigns, summaries of scientific findings, or monthly reports–are usually writing because a) it’s our job to write these...
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