Find the telling detail There are two kinds of details: realistic and telling. “If someone is bald, that’s realistic detail,” writes narrative nonfiction author Lauren Kessler. “If someone chooses to deal with baldness by getting $3,000 hair implants, that’s a status detail. It is a particular that offers insight into character.” We want more of the latter and less … [Read more...] about Do sweat the small stuff
Archives for June 2011
Get clicked
Write Web heads that attract Google — and real readers “If there is a choice between boring and useless, I suggest going for boring.” — Steffen Fjaervik, contributing writer for Poynter Online There’s a lot of sniveling and squawking going on in the Web writing community these days. Consider the headlines: “This Boring Headline Is Written for Google,” grumble … [Read more...] about Get clicked
Boil it down
Explain ‘About us’ in your boilerplate Boilerplates: Can’t live without ’em, can’t get a decent one through approvals. A boilerplate is the short “About us” paragraph at the end of your releases that describes your organization. It's the boilerplate’s ubiquitousness that makes it important. Your boilerplate gets used over and over again. Depending on the scope and … [Read more...] about Boil it down
I only have eyes for you
Magazines dominate usage 85% of the time You might talk on the phone while reading online, but when you read a magazine, you read a magazine. Print is more engaging than TV, radio and the Web, according to researchers at Ball State University. Electronic media — the Internet, TV and radio — garner a greater share of the time people spend with media. But people often … [Read more...] about I only have eyes for you
Write better right now
Polish your skills for less than the price of a pizza Now you can get all the tools you need to write better, easier and faster — for less than the price of a good pizza each month. Silver membership If you like this e-zine, you'll love Rev Up Readership — our monthly newsletter that's brimming with writing tools and tipsheets. It's like a half-day writing workshop … [Read more...] about Write better right now