Can you tell a story in just six words?
You may have heard the tale of how, in the 1920s, Ernest Hemingway bet ten dollars that he could write a complete story in just six words. He wrote: "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn." He won the bet and often referred to the story as his best work ever.
Want punchier writing? Don’t bury your verbs
Nominalisation is one of our pet hates. It's also one of the commonest ways in which writing falls down.
Do you really need all those words?
This month's writing tip is about less is more. Literally. It's about using fewer words to communicate more clearly and effectively.
Gordon Bennett! The Victorian playboy still shaping our language
As a professional copywriter, I love unearthing the quirky links between words and phrases we all use today, and their historical origins.
Meeting the unmet needs of unnecessary words
Working in a copywriting agency and dealing with words from a variety of sources every day means you soon spot emerging (or fully emerged) trends in vocabulary and word use.
Say no to the splice
Commas are a really useful writing tool. You could compare them to taking a breath when writing a sentence. However, it's easy to go over the top and use them incorrectly.
Take a rain check on the clichés
Office-speak and clichés are so well established, it’s easy to play buzzword bingo in management meetings. It’s less difficult to spot in writing, but a very easy habit to fall into.
Minced oaths and the Victorian playboy still shaping English today
As a professional copywriter, I love unearthing the quirky links between common words and phrases and their historical origins.
What is tone of voice?
What is tone of voice and why is it so important to your company's marketing strategy?
Use your comma sense
Ever felt guilty for using a comma before ‘and’? Who can forget the mantra of English teachers: you don’t need a comma before ‘and’. Well guess what. They were wrong.