Archive for July, 2007
Proofreading is as important as writing
This somewhat tongue-in-cheek blog posting illustrates the importance of proofreading your work before sending it off. Regardless of whether it's an email, a blog post, an article, a book, or just your homework.
A while back, I wrote a blog post that quoted William Zinsser. He got it right when he wrote that just [...]
Turning WordPress into a collaborative writing and editing environment
I’ve become addicted to WordPress since switching this blog over from Blogger (a tip of the hat to Tom Johnson for convincing me). One aspect of WordPress that I’ve really come to appreciate is its flexibility. WordPress isn’t just a blogging platform — it’s a publishing environment.
And it’s become even more flexible thatnks to CommentPress. [...]
Words on a page: the eBook
Over the last several weeks — in between writing, laying new flooring in my living room, and trying to deal with the wackiness that is my life — I’ve been mulling whether or not to write an eBook. The tentative title is Words on a Page: Writing Advice from the Trenches.
The book would discuss writing [...]
Writing blog entries with a blogging client
Chances are you write and post most (if not all) of your blog post using the interface that is provided by your blogging software or service. But you really don’t have to. Instead, you can use a word processor-like blogging client which can make writing to your blog a lot easier.
This article looks at a [...]
Email skills for the freelancer
It seems like so long ago that writers communicated with editors, clients, and each other using snail mail, telephone, and fax. But email has changed all that. I don't know about you, but I find email to be indispensible when dealing with the people who rent my skills.
However, email is a dual-edged blade. It can [...]
Thought for the day
Habit = habitual Habit + presence = skill Skill + presence + attention = craft Skill + presence + attention + understanding = artistry — Robert Fripp
Musings on technical writing
Technical writing is a job of contrasts. It can be interesting, challenging, and financially rewarding. It can also be frustrating and infuriating. This blog post is a great look at what's involved in being a technical writer.
I really like this list of goals for technical writers from the post:
Think [...]
Writing email queries
I don’t know about you, but all of my queries are sent by email these days. Writing an email query is a bit of an art in itself. You don’t want to make the query too long or too short, and it can be difficult to figure out what information to include in the query.
Anne [...]
Keeping organized, the analog way
In this day of desktop and Web-based tools, many writers (myself included) tend to get caught up in the technology and forget that sometimes doing things the old fashioned way can be both useful and efficient. Take, for example, keeping your writing projects and ideas organized. Sure, you can use any number of available tools. [...]