Advertising copywriters are often told that they need to get to grips with poetry. After all, the ability to express complex images and emotions in just a few lines is what makes a copywriter great. Actually, poetry can help writers of all breeds, be they novelists or nonfiction writers, to improve their craft. The ability...
In an earlier post we showed you five reasons to write your own book. Now, let’s talk about the steps you must take to make this happen. 1. Create a plan Have you heard the popular saying that failing to plan is planning to fail? If you want to write a book the first step is to create a plan;...
The dash and hypen are two punctuation signs that get some users confused owing to their similar look. But really, a dash is a dash; and a hyphen, a hyphen. Both signs are different, and so is their usage. A hyphen joins two or more words together while a dash separates words into parenthetical statements....
You may have an inspiring life experience, which others can learn from; so, why not put all of those into writing? Perhaps, you might say you do not have any interesting story to tell about yourself that demands writing an autobiography. That is hardly the case. Truth is, you are more interesting than you probably...
The hard part of writing a book isn’t getting it published. With more opportunities than ever to become an author, the hard part is the actual writing. 1. Decide what the book is about Good writing is always about something. Write the argument of your book in a sentence, then stretch that out to a paragraph,...
Here’s a question I get asked a lot: Daily blogging sounds like a good idea, but what should I write about? So, start here: Take an inventory. Get out a notebook and make a couple of lists. What are things you’re good at? My list looks like this: I’m a professional fiction writer. I’m an idea person....
Writing can be therapeutic when strong emotions trouble our mind. We can’t sleep, we can’t think straight, and we can’t get on with the joys of life. I was a therapist for twenty-five years, guiding individuals, couples, and families and helping them deal with the pain that brought them into my office. I’ve seen my...
A brief is a statement of fact aimed at achieving an objective: passing information for business purposes (written by an advertiser or sponsor), legal proceedings, meetings, security purposes, etc. Such information is incontrovertible by anyone who comes across it. A brief’s role is just making available the needed facts and figures and nothing more. And...
Here are ten ways to produce more vivid, direct, concise prose by replacing wordy phrases with fewer words and reorganizing sentences. It is not advisable to employ these strategies indiscriminately, but prose will usually be improved by following the recommendations below. 1. Use Active Voice When a sentence includes be or any other copulative...
An apology letter, as we may know, is a tool used to express or convey remorse for a wrongdoing. Oftentimes, we offend people by our actions, inactions, speeches, etc, and in such circumstances, it is proper we do not let such acts of wrong sever the relationship we share with others. Writing an apology letter,...
