#RIPRobinWilliams tweets show how to serialize your story What can you learn from Norm MacDonald's Twitter tribute (would that be twibute?) to Robin Williams? What can't you learn?! MacDonald shows us how to serialize our stories, how to get the word out in 144 characters or less — and when to stop typing. Here are six tips to take from MacDonald's … [Read more...] about Take a tip from Norm MacDonald
Archives for October 2014
Skimm this!
Make your e-zine interesting, relevant, easy What's the secret to a successful e-zine? Make 'em laugh; make 'em think; make 'em Skimm. In other words, make it interesting, relevant and easy. That's the formula e-zine the Skimm uses. You can steal a trick from the Skimm and produce an e-zine that's: Interesting The Skimm makes the news fun to read, from the … [Read more...] about Skimm this!
Don’t say ‘when’
Date leads date your story In a “West Wing” episode, President Jed Bartlet is in the Oval Office, where a technician prepares to record his Saturday morning radio address. TECHNICIAN: "Here we go. In three, two ..." He holds up his index finger on "one," then points to Bartlet. BARTLET: "Good morning. This month, as autumn is in full bloom in much of … [Read more...] about Don’t say ‘when’
How small is small?
Mini narratives can be as brief as a paragraph In The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee shares this tiny tale: "In 2005, a man diagnosed with multiple myeloma asked me if he would be alive to watch his daughter graduate from high school in a few months. In 2009, bound to a wheelchair, he watched his daughter graduate from college. The wheelchair had nothing to … [Read more...] about How small is small?
Don’t miss your chance …
... to learn to Catch Your Readers in New York, Oct. 28-29 Consider the issues: The secret to writing to get read is to position your messages in your reader's best interest. Yet most writers position their messages in their organization's best interest. Which approach do you use? Our old friend the inverted pyramid has been proven in the lab to reduce … [Read more...] about Don’t miss your chance …