Beyond 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...
Read MoreWho To Write To When Everyone’s Reading
Yesterday at 4pm EST I co-hosted the first ever Writing Matters Twitter chat–#WrMatters–with Corporate Writing Pro Michelle Baker. We were joined by Michelle Quillin of New England Multimedia and Megan Harris of Megan Writes Media, as well as plenty of lurkers–I’m certain of it. Anyhow, our discussion centered on reaching our audiences. Michelle’s Writer’s Triangle shows audience is affected by the author on one angle and the purpose of the piece on another...
Read MoreBusiness Jargon Destroys Lives
It’s Jenn Whinnem, here to remind us of the dangers of that murky maelstrom of language, business jargon. Don’t forget to follow her on Twitter. People on Twitter are heck of mad about homonyms. Heck, they’ve been mad since I joined in 2009. There/their/they’re, but especially your/you’re. Lose/loose. I have strong opinions about people who harp on these things, but this is not what this blog post is about. Ladies and gentlemen, we have MUCH bigger fish to fry: business...
Read MoreHow To Make Your Readers Really Read Your Lists
First, I have to confess: bullet posts are my favorite both to read and to write because they’re the easiest to fill space with–either the screen or my mind. But for the same reason, I feel they do contribute to the “drainpipe of lose facts” Danny Brown mentioned in his post yesterday (although I didn’t have those words until I read them–in a bullet, no less). That’s why I’ve been subconscously avoiding them. And that’s why I created this...
Read MorePublic Relations Versus Marketing Communications: Can One Write For The Other?
A few weeks ago I asked Jayme Soulati–a favorite PR pro of mine–for a guest post addressing a topic she didn’t feel she “could tackle with aplomb.” So I let her off the hook (because I really, really wanted to give her experience and palpable energy the spotlight here), and left the topic-picking to her. I wasn’t disappointed. Her thoughts–and any ensuing discussion–on public relations versus marketing communications are important for...
Read MoreAre Readers Really Reading Your Posts?
I love list posts. I snap up each item beside each bullet like a potato chip, and move on to the next. The reason: I can easily skip down the left margin and decide whether to comment or share. I’m essentially reading without actually reading. Is that a good or a bad thing? Good because: if people like what they skim they may save it to “really” read later, and share right now. the format makes it easier for people to “choose” something to respond to in...
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Join Michelle Baker, the Corporate Writing Pro, and I every other Thursday at 4pm EST for #WrMatters, the only Twitter chat for non-writing professionals to discuss the what, why, and how Writing Matters every day.
