Good Copy, Bad Copy
Doris and Bertie’s blog dedicated to helping you find and keep your business writing mojo!
Why you should write for grandmothers and Martians
Counterintuitive perhaps, but the less you know about the topic you’re writing about, the more you’re likely to write stuff that will be useful to your reader.
Writing for your boss? Just begin with "Dear Doris and Bertie"
I’m not convinced that your boss really does like your bad corporatese, but if you believe this to be the case, perhaps you might like to direct your boss to a certain Warren Buffett.
If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out
The title of this post is one of George Orwell’s oft-quoted rules of writing. And it’s a rule that business writers would do well to take more notice of.
In praise of the simple word "said"
Only inexperienced writers believe that when you're quoting several people in an article, you need to avoid repeating the word “said”.
Can’t you hear? Can’t you hear that it is wrong? (Or why rhythm’s not just for poets)
Whenever a client wants to revise my work, the rhythm is always the first thing to go. And whenever I find myself criticising another writer’s work, it’s often their lack of rhythm that grates.
Real verbs - or how not to write like a bureaucrat
Bad business writing is awash with filler verbs such as “driving”, “delivering”, “focusing on” and “achieving”.
Ditch your communications strategy and just talk
Reading noun-heavy prose is like having to complete an obstacle course, in which every word you encounter slows you down and depletes you of the energy to read on.
Pitching it at the right level
When it comes to a successful business pitch, small, focused presentations are more powerful than 200-page tomes.
Don't follow the crowd
Writers seem to have suddenly developed a mistrust of the word ‘after’, preferring instead the more cumbersome ‘following’.
Little effect after much labour
Ask any professional writer what the definition of 'professional writer' is and they'll likely tell you it's someone who doesn't very much like writing.
Designed to annoy
I flinch whenever I see evidence a fellow writer has surrendered all power to their designer. The biggest give-away? When words are over-designed in a misguided attempt to be witty or allusive.