“What should I write at the conclusion of my paper?” a student recently asked me. Endings are hard. The best ones don’t let up; they build on what you’ve already written. Beginnings are more important than endings; you need to capture the reader’s attention with your title and first few words. But as hard as…
Some phrases drive me crazy. As an editor, I will always flag them and replace them. Among the worst: “and more” and “is expected to.” Writing comes from flow. You have something to say, and you want to spill it out on the page and get on to the next thing. This is how lazy…
A New York Times article with an inflammatory title suggests that, according to new scholarly research, Shakespeare’s plays drew heavily on a manuscript by another author. For Shakespeare scholars, this is a revelation. For the rest of us, it’s a good demonstration of the difference between plagiarism and inspiration. The title of the Times article is “Plagiarism…
Business books are made out of case studies, idea frameworks, proof points, argumentation, and advice. The key is to balance the amount of each element that you include. Here’s a short description of what each piece is, why it’s important to use the right amount, and how to adjust it. If you write business books,…
Video content is taking over the world, or so we’re told. Text is old-school — video stands out and people share it. So who needs to learn to write? You do. If you think the future of communications is video, you’re way off. Here are five reasons why, for nearly every communication you’re planning, text…
Donald Trump tweeted that he’s “like, really smart.” Anything in writing that uses “like” in this way sets off alarm bells, because it’s the ultimate weasel word. Here’s Trump’s series of tweets. Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats…
New Year’s is a good time to think about change. As I think back on all the biggest opportunities and shifts I have made in my career, they all have these things in common: I was feeling stuck and bored. Something was tickling the back of my imagination. I moved toward it. And eventually, I…
You probably have this week off, or at least it’s a light work week for you. It’s the perfect time to dream about your career. Time without work deadlines is a precious resource. You are probably decompressing somewhere warm, playing board games with family, or riding character-themed rides at an amusement park. Go ahead, have…
“What am I going to write about?” That’s the content marketer’s constant challenge. In fact, the number of sources is endless. You just have to have the right mindset. Let’s remember what content marketing is. While there are any number of definitions out there, I think of it very simply: Content marketing is sharing something…