Lousy headline, provocative first sentence
I nearly didn’t read an interesting article about stocks in The New York Times. Why? The problem of a lousy headline I nearly skipped the article because of the bland headline: “An Ear to the Ground on Stocks.” The article could have been about anything. Perhaps college students who pick stocks for a class. An investment […]
“Better writing without parentheses” by Harriett Magee
Parentheses are overused in financial writing. Here’s a guest article about them by Harriett Magee, a writer-editor who specialized in alternative investments. Her article originally appeared on Jan. 27, 2008, on one of my earlier blogs. It’s still relevant, so I’m sharing it here. Better writing without parentheses By Harriett Magee Parentheses (like all punctuation) […]
Propel email conversations forward
Email matters. As communication channels proliferate, email endures. As a result, the better you manage your email conversations, the more smoothly your work and personal lives are likely to proceed. Reading John Kim’s “Sadly, 20 email tips,” I was struck by his suggestion that email writers should “move the conversation forward.” When I’ve written about […]
MISTAKE MONDAY for April 26: Can YOU spot what’s wrong?
Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? I’m surprised that this item came from a highly respected national newspaper. (Thanks, John Lowell, for sending this one to me!) Please post your answer as a comment. I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading.
Working with a sensitivity reader
Have you ever considered working with a sensitivity reader on your writing for your business? Do you even know what a sensitivity reader is? In my article on “How to edit articles about Black people,” I mentioned that writers who are concerned about diversity and inclusion can hire a reader with specialized skills or background […]