Stories and fiction are not synonymous. Facts can mislead, and frequently do. Fictional stories can hold meaningful truths. Data can distract us. Whether we’re reading stories online or writing for others, we need to keep a few distinctions clear in our heads: stories vs. fiction, truth vs. facts, fibs vs. frauds. Stories and fiction For […]
Writing
Wired for Story: A Book Review
Short Version A story proves itself not on the paper but in the reader’s brain. In Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence, Lisa Cron offers valuable insights and practical advice for crafting better stories. Long Version: 3 Things I Love about This book (As […]
An Interview with Karen Catlin on Language and Inclusion
When Words Close Doors How would you feel if you walked into an office party and no one made eye contact with you or spoke with you? You’d feel unwelcome, right? Certainly uncomfortable. Our brains experience something similar when we encounter language such as gender-specific pronouns that don’t include our own gender identity, or words […]
Dealing with Writer’s Anxiety
Writers can be anxious people. Our minds generate stories and ideas, looking for sources of conflict and drama. We sometimes have trouble shutting down that narrative engine. A mind that’s always looking for trouble is going to find it. For writers, this means inevitable writing anxiety. Anxiety and worry stalks writers of all types, whether […]
Email or Text – Why It Matters
If you want to communicate with a work colleague, do you compose an email or send a text? How about a family member? As a rule, do you prefer to text or to email? For most of us, the answer is it depends on the situation. But some people take sides. They insist on texting […]
How and Why to Filter the Jargon
Jargon – it’s the language we love to hate. We complain about encountering legal terms in packaging, or dense abstractions in academic journals. The term jargon brings a negative connotation of being pretentious and incomprehensible. Yet the much-maligned jargon has its place. It saves us a great deal of time. Industry-specific terms are how we […]
