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“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.
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Category Archives: Good advice from here and there
Advice for effective e-mail: Slow down!
E-mail dominates our workplace communications largely because of its speed. You click a button and WHOOSH! Within seconds, your message pops up in the recipient’s inbox. Just as quickly, they can respond and WHOOSH! Their reply is back in your … Continue reading
Pauses and omissions: Using ellipses
The dot-dot-dot thing you use when you want to indicate a pause in dialog, or and omission in a quotation? You know, like this: “The chocolate-coated kippers were . . . interesting.” That’s called an ellipsis. (The plural is ellipses.) … Continue reading
1+1 is wonderful
Ken Davis has a fantastic suggestion for improving your writing: This week, think about setting up an underground, subversive writing team, in which you and a coworker routinely revise each other’s drafts. You’ll both end up writing better, and looking … Continue reading
I’m blushing!
Molly DiBianca of the Delaware Employment Law Blog has been compiling some lists of writing resources, including 10 Humorous Writing Blogs and 20 Online Dictionaries. Her latest list is The Top 30 Blogs on Writing, and I’m pleased to say … Continue reading
From the forefront of research: 10 expressions to avoid
From the researchers at the University of Oxford (is that where they invented the shoes?), here’s the Top Ten Most Irritating Expressions in the English Language: 1 – At the end of the day 2 – Fairly unique 3 – … Continue reading
Posted in Good advice from here and there, Humor, Word Choice
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The value of writing things down
Daniel Boorstin, author of the great works The Creators (Vintage, 1993) and The Discoverers (Vintage, 1985), once said that the written word was the greatest technology man ever invented. Without it, we’d be dependent on our notoriously unreliable memories to … Continue reading
EVERYONE needs to write well
Dustin Wax offers some advice for students that’s applicable to everyone: Become a great writer.No matter what field you hope to go into, and no matter what job you hope to have in that field, writing skills will get you … Continue reading
Posted in Good advice from here and there
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On Brevity
Want to impress an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court? Here’s Antonin Scalia, in the September 14, 2008 Parade: What are the most common mistakes lawyers make? In written arguments, it’s verbosity. Brevity is crucial. Words piled upon words … Continue reading
Begin with meaning, then provide details
Effective practical writing (for example, business writing or persuasive writing) begins with the main point you want to convey, and then adds the supporting details. Our brains process meaning, or the gist of something, before we start processing the details, … Continue reading
Are you thinking about writing a book?
I’m guessing that more than a few of you are either thinking about writing a book, or you’ve actually started. In either case, Scott Berkun has some thoughts for you to consider. You see, he’s had a lot of people … Continue reading
Posted in Good advice from here and there
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