Want a quick, easy-to-implement strategy for improving your writing? Before you sit down to write anything (a blog post, a report, a book), ask yourself this simple question: Who will read this? Who are you writing for? Can you envision an ideal reader? Why would they want to read this piece of content, and what will […]
Business writing
Lazy But Efficient Content Marketing [Book Review]
A Review of Master Content Marketing by Pamela Wilson Partway into the prolog of Pamela Wilson’s Master Content Marketing, there’s a section with the following heading: “My Lazy (But Efficient!) Approach to Content Marketing” As soon as I read that heading, I knew that I’d found a content marketing and writing soulmate. My life goal is […]
Are You a One-Size-Fits-All Writer?
Early in my career, I worked in a small startup. As the only writer in the company, I wrote nearly everything for the business, from data sheets and white papers to direct response ad copy, emails, user manuals (back when companies shipped printed manuals), and invitations to the holiday party. In retrospect, I’m pretty confident that […]
A Field Guide to Writers in the Workplace
On any given workday, you can find countless people typing on laptops. They may be writing emails, reports, papers, advertisements, job postings, or resumes. They all have one thing in common: They are assembling thoughts into a written form, and hope that those efforts will support their careers. They are workplace writers. Workplace writers come in […]
The Perils of Worshipping the Big Idea
Raise your hand if you’ve ever worried about someone “stealing your idea” – and let that worry stop you from doing something. We’ve all done it at one point or another. But except in patent situations and other unusual cases, those worries are usually unfounded. Worse, they can hurt us as writers. Be careful not […]
Writing in the Zone: Say Hello to Flow
You know when it happens – but only after the fact. You’re absorbed in the writing, the words are pouring out, and suddenly you realize that an hour or two has passed. It’s as if you wake up from the work. Instead of feeling drained, you are energized. Performers and athletes talk about being “in […]