Bring stories to life with human interest Stories about organizational programs, policies and procedures can kill reader interest. But bring those stories to life through people, and you can resurrect attention, too. That's what graduates of our most recent Master the Art of the Storyteller Master Class did with these before-and-after leads about HR programs. Let … [Read more...] about Turn programs into people
creative copy
Color bind
Yes, Communicator, you can make your copy more colorful How can scanning old news headlines, getting a quick education from Wikipedia or asking your BFF and research assistant Google a question or two save a boring story? By helping you add concrete detail to your message in 30 minutes or less. One of my favorite editing assignments is to turn dry, abstract message … [Read more...] about Color bind
Paint word pictures
'You'll have your hand on your head with a knot under it' My grandma and namesake, Annie B. Vrana, was an Oklahoma farm woman and one of the most colorful people I've known. When she spoke, she painted pictures in your head. What I didn't know then that I do know now is that word pictures increase understanding. Because Grandma talked in pictures, we could literally … [Read more...] about Paint word pictures
String readers along
Strings of quotes work when they're fascinating When does it make sense to load up your story with quotes? When the people you're quoting are incredibly quotable. That's why The New York Times devoted 23% of its word count to quotes in "David Garth, 84, Dies; Consultant Was an Innovator of Political TV Ads." On average, the Times devotes 12% of its word count to … [Read more...] about String readers along