Skip to content

Data states, writing illuminates

    Category: Effective writing tells a story

    2022-05-02 Effective writing tells a story

    Writers block at work? Learn from tech authors’ struggles and successes.

    In a recent survey, 69 tech writers said they often experience “blocked” periods of time when it’s difficult to write.

    Continue reading

    2020-12-29 Effective writing tells a story / Oh, the productivity

    For insights at work, hold your nerve and pay attention (post moved)

    By paying more attention to important signals, we can understand them better, and glimpse their unsaid meanings too. But we’ll have to slow down – to hold our nerve like a value investor, or patiently wait as if with a passive index.

    2020-05-17 Effective writing tells a story

    You’ve been had. The passive voice was never bad. (Post moved.)

    “Avoid it”, the style guides write, “unless you really know what you are doing”. The implication is you don’t.

    2017-09-28 Effective writing tells a story

    Why “Minimalism” doesn’t mean “plain writing”

    John Carroll’s sound instructional principles became known as Minimalism — a term that would frequently be mistaken for the idea of just writing less.

    2016-10-30 Effective writing tells a story

    Redundancy is Not a Crime

    The grammar police may criticise our doubleplusungood writing, but our loyalty should be with more plausible authorities — our global audience.

    2015-12-30 Effective writing tells a story / Schemas help readers

    Serve Content in Tasty Chunks

    Well-thought-out content sets are like a good stew — each chunk has a distinct role. Carrots bring sweetness; potatoes, substance. In the same way, carefully designed information is served in purposeful pages whose structure reflects their intent.

    2013-10-06 Effective writing tells a story

    Does Your Writing Tool Leave Space to Build a Story?

    Every piece of business writing should tell a story. But constructing an argument or plot takes focus. Helpful tools remove the distraction of presentation and allow direct manipulation of the logical structure.

    2013-04-25 Effective writing tells a story

    The Author is Alive: A Reading of Marcia Riefer Johnston’s “Word Up!”

    “Word Up!” is a required read for anyone who’s interested in language, wants to improve their writing, or just needs a clickworthy headline about a weird Chinese goat.

    I'm posting now at Do The Words, on how writing helps you think, listen, and lead.
    Not posting here any more but keeping the site up, as a few of the posts are still popular and hopefully useful.
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn

    Subscribe in a reader

    Create a website or blog at WordPress.com
    • Follow Following
      • Data states, writing illuminates
      • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
      • Data states, writing illuminates
      • Customize
      • Follow Following
      • Sign up
      • Log in
      • Report this content
      • View site in Reader
      • Manage subscriptions
      • Collapse this bar