Everyone asks. They’re all worried that they’re writing too much, or not enough. (Nobody seems to worry that they’re writing exactly the right amount and that someone will be confused or annoyed.) So what’s the answer? How long should a blog post or book or chapter or any written work be? Here’s an analogy which [...]
Intent is a powerful tool. In the ‘trust tree’ it’s the trunk—the only portion that’s partly invisible, partly visible. Our intent begins inside, then becomes evident to others.
So next time someone asks you “What’s Joel’s favorite punctuation mark?” you’ll have the definitive answer.
Never follow so many rules that your personality gets squooshed out and replaced with something that looks and tastes like instant oatmeal. Sometimes, you just break the rules because that is what will get the job done, today, right now, this moment.
Every book and website on writing says you must write for yourself, and they’re right. Every smart marketer says you must write for your readers or you’ll lose them, and they’re right. It’s a tightrope, and you have to walk it, because they’re both right.
Strunk and White taught me to omit needless words. How about if we omit needless thoughts as well?
Inspire passion, for or against, by saying something folks can sink their teeth into. Cause debate. Overstate your case once in a while, just to push someone into reacting. Drop the weasel words. Speak your piece. Take a stand.
The more you fear having an editor analyse your writing, the more likely it is you need one. Your writing will sound more real, fresher, as a result.
The apostrophe serves a couple very specific purposes. If you look around at most marketing material, you’d assume its purpose is simply to separate the letter ‘s’ from the rest of a word. That’s, well, not even in the ballpark.
If you misspell words people think you’re unintelligent. They will assume you are less qualified to educate or entertain them. Don’t sabotage yourself. If you’ve got something worth writing, spell it correctly.
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