Viewing time: 3 mins. 51 secs. The Write Question is a weekly video podcast about writing that I started in 2017 and that ran, more or less weekly, until April 2022. This is a republication of issue #26, describing what the word stet actually means. The post first ran on July 28/17. Transcript: Welcome to […]
What does the word STET mean? (video) Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss an out-of-the-mainstream editing trick you might want to try…. I scan about 80 blogs each week looking for writing and editing
Out-of-the-mainstream editing tricks you can try Read More »
Viewing time: 4 minutes and 13 seconds The Write Question is a weekly video podcast about writing that I started in 2017 and that ran, more or less weekly, until April 2022. This is a republication of issue #8, about how to switch from writing to editing, which first ran on March 10/17. Transcript: Welcome to
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss a blog post about the editing style of Jane Austen…. When I edit on paper, I use a wickedly sharp red
Jane Austen and her editing style: could you do it? Read More »
Reading time: About 5 minutes Need to work with difficult editors, whether they’re annoying, angry or thoroughly inept? Here’s a primer on how to accomplish that challenging task…. I once worked for a difficult editor at the daily newspaper where I cut my teeth. He started screaming at me in my first job interview, and
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Reading time: Just over 4 minutes I received a distressing email from a client a few weeks ago. He had just run his latest article through an editing app I recommend, Count Wordsworth, and also through ProWritingAid, and Online-Utility.org, two other editing apps I favour. Troublingly, all the results were different. So, what do these
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Reading time: Less than 3 minutes Sometimes, being “sticky” is a desirable trait. At other times, it’s a bad idea. Here’s how to figure out if you’re using too many sticky words…. Ever since Chip and Dan Heath wrote the 2007 bestselling book Made to Stick, many of us have seen the word “sticky” as a compliment.
Do you use too many sticky words? Read More »
Reading time: Less than 1 minute This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss a blog post written by Derek Sivers…. I can’t remember how I learned about Derek Sivers (pictured above), but it wasn’t
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Reading time: Less than 1 minute This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world to find websites, books and articles to help other writers. Today I discuss a blog post on the cost of editing….. I hire a very good copy editor who is worth every cent that I
How much should editing cost? Read More »
Reading time: Just over 2 minutes Blog posts can start with nothing more than an interesting story but, eventually, they need to evolve into a big idea. Here’s why you need to accomplish that…. When I met with bloggers Mitchell and Jordan (not their real names), they looked nervous. They were sitting in a meeting room,
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