How much research should you do? When do you stop? Are you ever really done? Nonfiction authors, workplace writers, and historical fiction writers generally write in their genres because they’re interested in the subject matter. It’s easy to get caught up in the research and never let go. Find your own balance between being diligent about researching and […]
Writing with Authority
How our speech patterns can undermine us when we write at work If you’ve ever had the experience of reading a transcript of yourself speaking in an informal setting, you might be horrified. Few of us speak in grammatically correct sentences. We ramble and leave sentences dangling. Worse, we fill empty space with um, er, you know, and the […]
Three Keys to Writing Copy That Sells More Books
[Update 2020: This is a rare guest post from the wonderful Chris Syme—a woman who shares my combined interests in books and marketing. First published in 2017, the advice is timeless. There is an updated version of her book, which is linked in this article.] Book descriptions, blurbs, social media posts, ad copy. Even though […]
Share Your Love of Writing on the Job
What do you enjoy about writing at work? Beyond getting paid – which is always rewarding – what do you find fulfilling and fun about the writing you do on the job, for others? Is it … Collaborating with people you like and respect? Challenging your creative chops in the workplace context? Stretching yourself and exploring […]
Writing and Painting: The Art of Layering
Claude Monet: The Japanese Bridge (Image public domain) I’ve just finished reading Mad Enchantment by Ross King, about the later years of Claude Monet’s life. It covers the many years that Monet slaved over the giant water lily canvases that now grace the Orangerie in Paris. Reading about the Impressionist painters, you might imagine that they worked quickly, capturing the […]
Focusing on the Writing
Grammar and spelling are important, but focus may be your most valuable writing skill. Editors can fix the grammar. Only you can fix your focus. I posed the following question to a group of people who write in a busy corporate environment: “How do you find the focus to get the work done?” These are a few of their […]