What they’re saying:
“Deft, generous, wise and insightful, Roy Jacobsen’s experience-based blog is one of the best bangs for the click that any writer will find on the Internet.”—Arthur Plotnik“Writing – Clear and Simple proves that it doesn’t take a professional to write clearly and with impact.” —Top 100 Blogs to Improve Your Writing in 2010
One of “The Top 30 Blogs on Writing” according to the Delaware Employment Law Blog.
"Your website rocks!"—William Van Benschoten
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Author Archives: Roy Jacobsen
Why worry about good writing? Because appearances matter!
We love the truism “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” We all want the world to appreciate our “inner value” without taking external appearances into consideration. But human nature does not work that way. As Stacy London and … Continue reading
In the mailbox
I’ve received a new writing journal called 365 Things to Write About, by Allegra Newman and Peter Trauth. I plan to review it after playing with it for a while.
“Be vewwy quiet! I’m hunting intensifiers!”
A modifier is a word or phrase that modifies another word or phrase by adding descriptive, limiting, or qualifying details. Adjectives modify nouns, and adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and everything else. Intensifiers are a special class of modifier that work … Continue reading
Posted in Growing as a writer, Style, Uncategorized
Tagged adverbs, Arthur Plotnik, intensifiers, tired words
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Strengthening the pillars—Ethos, or “a reason to believe”
A while back, I introduced you to (or reminded you about) the pillars of effective communication: Ethos, Logos, and Pathos. (Here’s a quick refresher: ethos is your credibility, logos is the evidence and logic you use, and pathos is the … Continue reading
Writing is a pipeline for ideas
“Ideas are not really alive if they are confined only to a person’s mind.”—Nancy Duarte One of the most beautiful parts of writing (or of speaking) is what I call idea flow. That is, writing is a pipeline that allows … Continue reading
Stop manipulating me!
The older I get, the less I tolerate people using words to manipulate me. Hence this rant about a potato chip package. In nice bold letters on the back of the package, it says “It all starts with farm-grown potatoes…” … Continue reading
Simplify
Here’s an exercise you can try this week: Make everything you write as simple as possible. Think Shaker furniture. Don’t add words. Cut them. Pare your message to its core. Don’t use big words. Use the simplest words you can. … Continue reading
Spot the Error: Pawn shop edition
From an article in the local newspaper: Bahls said popular television shows like “Hardcore Pawn” and “Pawn Stars” have helped business because many people are exposed to what it is pawn shops really do, and it peaks curiosity in new … Continue reading
Look your reader in the eye
Copywriter Nick Usborn says that the fundamental advice given to speakers applies to writers: Look your audience in the eye. So far, as I sit here writing, I’m looking you in the eye. Hopefully, you can hear my voice through … Continue reading
Posted in Business writing, Everyday writing, Good advice from here and there
Tagged Nick Usborn, voice
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