Donald Trump, “The Art of the Deal,” and the ethics of ghostwriting
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Donald Trump, “The Art of the Deal,” and the ethics of ghostwriting

The New Yorker just published a fascinating article, “Donald Trump’s Ghostwriter Tells All,” revealing what really happened when Tony Schwartz ghostwrote The Art of the Deal for Donald Trump. Schwartz says, “I feel a deep sense of remorse that I contributed to presenting Trump in a way that brought him wider attention and made him more appealing than he is.”…

Marco Rubio: the candidate that might have been

Marco Rubio: the candidate that might have been

How did we end up with such unpopular candidates? Donald Trump continues to respond to pain with hate. The GOP Rules Committee voted down a proposal to unbind delegates from their promises, so he’ll be the nominee of the Republican party. Dozens of prominent Republicans have withheld their support. Mitt Romney and both ex-President Bushes won’t be…

Enough with the excuses for poor writing. Don’t be a but-head.
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Enough with the excuses for poor writing. Don’t be a but-head.

All day long I hear excuses for why people’s writing is worse than it ought to be. “But my company insists we write it this way.” “But I don’t have time.” “But I learned to write this way.” Don’t be a “but-head.” Leave your excuses behind.  Here’s a handy guide on how to get past the…

Not sure if it’s bullshit? Try reading it out loud.

Not sure if it’s bullshit? Try reading it out loud.

I narrated the audiobook for Writing Without Bullshit this week, spending about 12 hours in the studio. It was a vivid reminder of how absurd some prose sounds when read out loud — which is a good test for whether your writing is bullshit. A good nonfiction audiobook sounds natural, as if someone is explaining something or…

How our leaders responded to events of this week
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How our leaders responded to events of this week

Yesterday I told you that our leaders’ responses to events of Baton Rouge; Falcon Heights, Minnesota; and Dallas would tell us a lot about them and the years to come. Today, I rate those responses. President Obama and Hillary Clinton rate well; the other candidates rate poorly. I didn’t have high hopes; this is an…

After Alton Sterling shooting, candidates’ vacuous platitudes
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After Alton Sterling shooting, candidates’ vacuous platitudes

Two Baton Rouge, Louisiana police officers tackled Alton Sterling, a black man, and shot him while pinning him down, all of which was caught on a graphic video. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating. The candidates’ responses are revealing — Gary Johnson and Bernie Sanders made short, substantive statements, while Hillary Clinton’s longer release is 87% platitudes. Because candidates want…