Monthly Archives: September 2009
The best writing mistakes and how to make them.
Make mistakes. Make a lot of them. And make them often. It’s the only way to get your thoughts on paper, and you’ll enjoy the writing process more. I actually damaged some muscles in my hands several years ago, because I was so excited about something I was writing that I spent too many hours [...]
Posted in Communication Tips, General Writing 9 Comments
Three grammar rules that are okay to break.
Grammar is great. You should learn the basics of good grammar and stick to them. It’s not that hard. Just remember that grammar is supposed to add clarity to your communication. Not confusion. So if it comes to a choice between clear communication and “correct” communication, always choose clarity – even if you have to [...]
Posted in Grammar & Spelling, Uncategorized 13 Comments
What your English teacher never should have taught you.
It’s a dark art. Most of us learned it first as schoolchildren and then perfected it later as college freshmen. We did it because the teacher asked for a three-page paper, but we only had two pages worth of meaningful thoughts. So we blathered on about nothing, repeating ourselves…rambling…struggling to reach the bottom of page [...]
Posted in General Writing, Presentations 11 Comments
What I learned from a film critic about good and bad writing.
A number of years ago, I created some TV spots for a major metro newspaper. The idea was to showcase some of the paper’s better-known writers and offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their world. Instead of scripting the ads ahead of time, I would stand behind the cameraman and interview each journalist. Then we would [...]
Posted in General Writing 5 Comments
The easiest way to get a response in business communications.