You know what your voice sounds like. You write in it every day, after all. (Haha, just kidding. Did I make you feel inadequate by implying everyone else in the world writes every day?) The trouble is, this is a business you’re running here. And you need your voice to come out the same every time you write. You know, so you look consistent and professional. You don’t want to […]
Blogging
How to Not Instantly Forget All the Shit You Learn
Do you ever feel like there is just TOO MUCH TO LEARN? Which sucks, because you want to be smarter and, you know, intelligible in conversations over dinner. And so you try to devour everything as quickly as you can to make time for it all. Or, at least, you feel like you should devour as much as you can as quickly as you can. Well, I’m sorry to tell […]
How to Write Quickly: My Writing Process
I finished reading Still Writing by Dani Shapiro a little while back. I learned a lot from that book and, as I was reading it, I got the impression that Dani and I are very different types of writer (and, for that matter, different types of people). Here’s something Dani had to say about writing that just did not click with me: Let’s face it: most of us are perfectionists. […]
How to Edit and Proofread Your Own Work Better
I find catching mistakes in my own work very easy. Sure, the occasional typo slips into a blog post, but mostly I manage to sweep them all out before I publish. And I do it immediately after I’ve finished writing the first draft (usually). I often advise other people to take a break from their work before they proofread it, because otherwise they’ll be too familiar with what’s on the […]
How to Attract Clients Who Understand Value (and Are Willing to Pay You What You’re Worth)
Last week we talked about how to identify and avoid clients who don’t understand value. You want to avoid those guys because, to put it simply, they won’t be willing to pay you what you’re worth – because they don’t understand the value you provide. So how do you attract clients who DO understand the value you provide? And are therefore willing to pay you handsomely for your services? There […]
Why You Need to Blog About Shit that Matters to You
Writing a blog can be hard. More to the point, continuing to write a blog after you’ve been at it for a while can be hard. Especially if you’re struggling to think up new angles on your chosen topic – which is probably related to whatever it is you sell, right? Well, I’ve got some good news. Not everything on your blog has to be about the products or services […]
The Difference Between Web Copy and Web Content
If you have a website for your business, you’ve doubtless heard the terms ‘web copy’ and ‘web content’. But what the hell do they mean? And what’s the difference between the two? Well, this is the internet, where everything is ambiguous and open to interpretation. Which theoretically means there’s no right answer. But I’m going to give you one anyway, because what the hell is the point of this blog […]
How Your Business Can Benefit from Bad Grammar
The rules you learned in school about writing could be harming your business. (Know what those rules will help with? Getting good grades in your essays. So if that’s what you’re shooting for, carry on.) But if you’re a business owner who wants to connect with your customers, you can forget about those fusty old rules. I break writing rules all the frickin’ time. ALL. THE. TIME. And I make […]
How to Put the KAPOW Back into Your Business
Back when I was a tender 18-year-old college student, I was filling out my university application. I decided to write about the time I did work experience at my local newspaper: ‘I was accepted on a week-long placement by the Grantham Journal,’ I wrote. I thought I was clever to write this because it meant my local newspaper had deemed me good enough to write for them. My tutor reprimanded […]
How Clichés are Damaging Your Business
Too often we use the first phrase that comes to mind when we’re bashing out a piece of writing. I’m guilty of it. And you are too. Clichés always wrestle their way into my first drafts. And then I have to wrestle them back out again while challenging my brain to come up with something at least vaguely original. A truly original expression will conjure up images in the mind […]