'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
Wordplay
Captivate your audience
Three ways to make your copy more creative Ogilvy was right. If you want someone to buy what you're selling — whether you're pitching products and services or positions and ideas — you must first engage them. And nothing engages audience members quite so well as creative material. Creative elements get attention, communicate more clearly and enhance … [Read more...] about Captivate your audience
Serial monogamy
Why have people fallen in love with this podcast? It's been compared to The Sopranos. Before its debut, it ranked No. 1 on iTunes. When its first season was over, fans couldn't remember what people do who aren't listening to it. It's Serial, a true-crime procedural by the creators of This American Life. The podcast follows the story of Adnan Syed, who has been in prison … [Read more...] about Serial monogamy
Balancing act
Three ways to create parallelism To create balance, you might: 1. Repeat and reverse. Start with your original ideaRepeat and reverse It was the best of timesIt was the worst of times It was the age of wisdomIt was the age of foolishness It was the epoch of beliefIt was the epoch of incredulity It was the season of LightIt was the season of Darkness It was … [Read more...] about Balancing act
This list is made for twisting
Wordplay techniques to steal from 'Kinky Boots' "Ladies and gentlemen … and those who have yet to make up your minds." — Billy Porter as Lola in Harvey Fierstein's 'Kinky Boots' Here's a quick humor technique: Twist a list. That is: 1) Start with a series of two or more items that go together. ("Ladies and gentlemen …") 2) Then add a funny final item that's not like … [Read more...] about This list is made for twisting