New York Times spider story shows and tells The best stories ride up and down the rollercoaster of abstraction, showing for attention, then telling for meaning, then repeating the process again and again. This New York Times piece does exactly that, adding color to a complex scientific piece … [Read more...] about What makes it great?
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Pass the dollar-bill test
If it looks easier to read, more people will read it One technique for making sure even a long story looks easy to read is to use Edmund Arnold's dollar-bill test. Arnold, a journalist and design consultant for more than 50 years, said that no chunk of copy should stretch longer than and wider than a dollar bill. Break copy up. To keep copy chunks short and … [Read more...] about Pass the dollar-bill test
All-time low
Americans average 19 minutes a day reading The average American reads for pleasure less than 20 minutes a day, according to a new study from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. At that rate, it would take most readers nearly a month to finish Divergent. How people spend their time Depending on where they live, Americans spend their time: Engaging in … [Read more...] about All-time low
Crack the case
How to organize a case study A colleague in health system marketing counsels his case study writers to "Get the patient to the hospital." Wrong! When it comes to case studies, it's about the client's problem and results, silly, not your solutions. Here's how to use the feature-style story structure to organize a case study. I. Introduce the problem and client in the … [Read more...] about Crack the case
Check it twice
How to write a good list "I love lists," writes Adam Savage. "Always have. When I was 14, I wrote down every dirty word I knew on file cards and placed them in alphabetical order." There are lots of things to list — organizational accomplishments, steps for getting the job done, dirty words. Here's a list of three ways to list things right: 1. Got a list? List … [Read more...] about Check it twice