In school, I remember a lot of time being devoted to teaching the skill of outlining. Teachers recommended it as the best way to form the foundation for an essay or term paper. The essay style I learned was highly structured. First came the Roman numerals, then the...
You’re probably familiar with the phrase, “I’m not an expert, but I know what I like.” This idea works fine for personal choices, but it can be a disaster in a writing critique group. If you’re a new writer who joins one for new writers, the odds are that no one will...
Know When To Stop No matter what you’re writing, if you get carried away by your own words, you’ll lose your audience. Mark Twain told a story about sitting in church one day. The preacher was giving an inspiring sermon on the subject of a worthy cause. He was asking...
You’ve probably heard of the editing tool, Grammarly. If you go to its web site, grammarly.com, you will read claims that the app ensures that what you write is easy to read, effective, and mistake-free. It presumably detects grammar, spelling, punctuation, word...
What is an irresistible hook? A hook is a compelling title or first sentence in an article or claim that pulls your ideal reader right in. Where are your irresistible hooks? Your hooks are in your stories. What is the story behind your business? What is the story...
If you want to have a successful business, you need to either get comfortable with writing practice or have deep pockets to hire a writer. Even if you do have a large surplus to invest in your business, you could probably think of a dozen better uses for it. You’ve...
