There is a 30 second ad I’d like you watch — but with the sound off. You’ve probably seen the ad before; it has been on TV enough and all over the Internet. Whether you have seen it or not, I’d still ask you to look at it again without any sound. I’ll tell you [...]
Here’s how to become a better writer: 1) write 2) read 3) listen They seem obvious, at least to me. Especially the first one. How does anyone improve a skill except by practice? Whether they’re athletes, artists, entrepreneurs, doctors — whatever — people get good at something by doing it. A lot. It’s the same [...]
I decided to write a post titled, “How to write a story.” However, a quick Google search showed that Mark Twain had beaten me to it. How wonderful is that? He has a piece titled, “How to tell a story” (see note at bottom). In a nutshell: don’t over-tell. In terms of story and business, [...]
by Bill on April 20, 2010
We use metaphors and similes every day. The web is built on them. The web itself is a metaphor. Well, it began as a metaphor. Given the meanings of web, I suppose it is an actual web. So I guess it isn’t a metaphor. As you can see, thinking about metaphors and similes can muddle [...]
Oh, don’t look baffled by the word. The internet — the world, for that matter — is made up of new words and phrases that try to communicate their intent in their name. This one, Thoughtwrestling, is a pretty good one I think. It communicates what the blog it names is about: wrestling with ideas. [...]
by Bill on March 23, 2010
Overuse diminishes the effectiveness of words and phrases. It steals their power. When that happens, stop using them. If you continue to, your writing will be ineffective. You want to convey your meaning but when a word has lost its power the meaning doesn’t come across. It becomes white noise. When everyone has a “great” [...]