It can seem as though "best practices" for generating copy on your website landing pages might be different for every viewer. Yet, you will find that there are some best practices you can adopt to make the writing process simpler for you. These practices will also make sure that your website...
Cover letters, resumes, proposals, online job applications—these are some of the most significant pieces you will write. They must engage readers and communicate persuasively, especially for competitive positions. Even if you are modest and shy, these pieces must sell you. Here are 12 tips to apply in high-stakes situations.
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How good are you at finding errors? The three short error quests below will test your proofreading skills and your knowledge of grammar, punctuation, and structure. Each quest contains just one error—no more, no less. Can you find it? You may be surprised at the solutions. Good luck!
Error Quest...
This is a blog about business writing—not politics. But Elizabeth Warren’s recent fall in poll numbers and weak results in primaries are directly tied to the message she is communicating. And that IS a writing issue. Senator Warren doesn’t need to change her ideas and well-planned programs. She needs...
A friend had just finished a proposal she would be presenting to a new client the next morning. After printing six copies for the people who would be at the meeting, she noticed that she had made an error in the client’s name at the top of page 1....
Yesterday I posted advice on giving constructive feedback in writing. That advice took the form of a list of Don'ts. Why not test yourself today on tips for giving constructive feedback? The list of 20 Don'ts below contains some fake Don’ts that should actually be Dos. Can you identify...
A reader named Kris sent this question: "I notice that people are no longer writing or speaking pronouns at the beginning of sentences. Is this acceptable now? I was taught that an implicit 'You' did not need to be written/spoken, but I’m noticing 'I' and 'We' not spoken or...
As an English major in college, I had only one English department class that I did not do well in: I got a C in linguistics, a required class. Phonemes, bilabial fricatives—they bored me to tears. How I wish the text had been this new book by David Shariatmadari:...
Reader Lionel B. Dyck has provided us with a great, weird headline to improve. It’s from “The Jerusalem Post.” Yes, newspapers are a special breed of writing, and headlines must be concise. But this one cuts so many words that it hurts my logical head. How would you clarify...
For many of us, it’s difficult to write about ourselves without feeling uncomfortable. Maybe that’s because of childhood messages we heard about being modest. I, for one, had an imposing old aunt who announced, whenever I was happily bragging, “Self-praise stinks.” Yet even my twenty-something daughter, raised in a...
