The revision process is like a beauty makeover for your writing – it turns awkward, ungainly words into elegant prose. If you’re not happy with your writing, you can repair it in revision. Like a good make-up artist, you need to understand what you’re starting with and where you want to go. Do you want […]
Business writing
Revision and the Art of Letting Go
The other day I was working with a writer who was struggling to revise a short, online marketing post with a strong call to action. The draft started with a catchy opening line – one that had worked well in another campaign. This specific post needed to communicate several ideas to set up its call […]
How to Give Effective Writing Feedback (Part Two)
Delivering Feedback That Makes a Difference Do you feel flattered when someone asks for your feedback on their writing? Don’t get ahead of yourself – your brilliant wisdom and advice may fall on deaf ears if you don’t deliver it in a way that the writer will absorb. The first post in this series talked […]
How to Give Feedback on Other People’s Writing (Part One)
If you identify as a writer, people will ask you for feedback on their writing. These requests come in many forms: A friend’s son asks if you can look at a college essay A work colleague emails you a project report to review A relative shows you a memoir they’re writing Your spouse asks you […]
Reviews Make You a Better Business Writer
If you write on the job, then you know that you’re not really done with a project until it makes it through reviews and approvals. A lingering review process can add weeks or months to a project, frustrating everyone involved. Many writers think of the review/approval process as the last hurdle that their work has […]
When Writing Is a Team Sport
When you think of a writer, what do you envision? Do you picture someone struggling alone in an attic, surrounded by crumpled papers, overflowing ashtrays and empty whiskey bottles? Papa Hemingway, perhaps? Or maybe you envision a cozy writing retreat, with scenic views and solitude. No matter what you imagine, it’s probably one person, working in […]