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Do You Resist Improving Your Writing?

July 11, 2020 by Barbara McNichol

by Barbara McNichol

improving your writing

If you resist the effort needed for improving your writing, here’s my suggestion: Make friends with good writing. A shift in attitude—from resisting to embracing—just might make all the difference. And here’s the payoff. When you better your writing skills, you advance your career and make a positive impression.

To meet that objective, here’s a fresh resource filled with must-have skills to jumpstart your resolve: an e-guide called—ta da—Making Friends with Good Writing.

This brand new e-guide comes with a special introductory offer. You’ll save $$ when you use the Coupon code FRIENDS at checkout. Check it out here.

“Barbara’s Making Friends with Good Writing is helpful and first class—just like she is! If you want to know when and why to use or create a style guide or enhance your writing, this e-guide provides answers with clear examples. ” – Peggy Henrikson, editor

Do you know the definition of a chiasmus? It’s a phrase that mirrors itself. 

Making Friends with Good Writing offers a compilation of chiasmi that are fun. After reading this e-guide, a reader sent this chiasmus by Garrison Keillor: “When it comes to finding available men in Minnesota, the odds are good, but the goods are odd.” She had a fun response, too. “I don’t take his message seriously, though. Thankfully I found a good man!”

Can you create your own chiasmus? Please write it here! 

Filed Under: Business Writing, Compelling Special Tagged With: #betterwriting, #betterwriting #businesswriting, #business book editing, effective writing, professional book editing, professional editing services

Make Your Writing Life More Efficient – Here’s How

February 27, 2018 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

8 Surprisingly Simple Tips That Will Make You a More Efficient Writer (Infographic)
Source: www.grammarcheck.net

Filed Under: Book Writing Tagged With: better writing, effective writing, nonfiction business book editing, productive writing, professional book editing, writing interruptions, writing life

Words Matter: Give Them the Respect They Deserve

April 20, 2017 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

by Barbara McNichol

Have you heard that gestures, tone of voice, and facial expressions carry significantly more weight in communication than words? Being a wordsmith, I never bought into this belief, and I’m grateful and relieved it’s been busted. Words matter!

This video demonstrates why the oft-referenced Mehrabian study needs to be examined more accurately. A fun production to watch!

Conclusion: Of course, words matter–a lot. Learning how to use them effectively should never stop!

Share your thoughts about what makes communication successful below.

Filed Under: Business Writing Tagged With: communication myth, Creativity Words, effective writing, Mehrabian study, nonfiction book editing mistakes, poor communication, professional business book editing, successful communication, words matter

5 Weak Words to Avoid — a Graphic Lesson from Grammar Check

November 27, 2015 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

5 Weak Words to Avoid & What to Use Instead (Infographic)
Source: www.grammarcheck.net

Do you agree or disagree with these? Comment here!

Filed Under: Writing Tips Tagged With: avoid weak words, better writing for business professionals, effective writing, nonfiction book editor, weak words

Do You Talk TO the Reader When You Write?

August 20, 2015 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

by Paulette Ensign

Have you ever noticed what it is that draws you into an article, book, blog post, booklet, or anything else you’re reading? Yes, the content is certainly a key part of  what attracts you. The overall style or tone of the writer is another part that keeps  you reading.

There is still something else you may never have considered, something that can feel like an annoying pebble in your shoe without ever realizing exactly what it is that’s somehow off the mark, unsettling, and even annoying.

That one thing triggering your reaction can be that the writer is mixing it up in talking about themselves, talking to you, and then talking about something that is neither you nor them. They are confusing you in the process of all of that.

When you are writing, these are among the possibilities where your focus is going, intentionally or unintentionally.

All About You

Talking about “I,” “my,” “me,” and “mine” serves a limited purpose. Your readers  expect your experience to be the basis of the information you are sharing with them, so all that self focus is unnecessary within the information you are sharing with them. When you talk about “we” or “us,” you are being presumptuous in including them in your statement. You may feel you are using that as a way to draw in your readers.

Still, your choice in doing that is often counterproductive and more divisive than inclusive.

All About Someone Else

Using examples of “them” can be helpful. Those examples can be even more helpful  when you bring the example clearly back around to directly referencing your reader  and their situation. There are ways to make that connection so you still use the example of someone else.

All About Your Reader

My suggestion? Talk to the reader. A generous use of “you” and “yours” is the magnet to draw your readers into what you are sharing with them. You can personalize your  presentation so it becomes a conversation between you and your reader.

For example, you may have a proven system that you know will solve their concerns. That is what is important to them, that you have something that solves their problem. The difference between “you will experience the results you want from a proven system” and “I have a proven system I use with my clients” is a subtle and powerful difference.

The most unnerving, unsettling, and confusing of all is when you mix up your writing to have all of those targets within the same publication, writing about you, them, and someone else. Your readers may not know exactly what is causing their  negative reaction to your otherwise brilliant information. However, their reaction may ultimately send them away from you instead of toward you.

Talk TO the Reader: ACTION – Review your writing to see how much and how consistently you are talking TO your reader. Talking TO your reader is one of the easiest and quickest ways to deepen your relationship with whomever reads or hears anything you share with people who are eager to learn from you.

Paulette Ensign, Tips Products International Founder, never dreamed of selling a million+ copies of her 16-page tips booklet 110 Ideas for Organizing Your Business Life, much less in four languages and various formats without a penny on advertising. She’s made a handsome living and cross-country move from New York to San Diego recycling those same 3500 words since 1991. With over forty years’ experience worldwide with small businesses, corporations, and professional associations in numerous industries, she lives a mile from the beach, keeping her young at heart. Learn more at http://www.tipsbooklets.com

How do you talk TO your reader? Share your practices here.

Filed Under: Writing Tips Tagged With: effective writing, mixing up your writing, nonfiction book editing, Paulette Ensign, professional business book editor, talk to the reader

Active Construction: The Single Most Important Change Writers Can Make

February 6, 2012 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

by Barbara McNichol

active constructionWhat’s the single most important change you can make in your writing? Learn to use active construction to add clarity and action to your message.

Watch out for “is” words and their various cousins.
Stay alert to phrases like “is happening” or “was being good”;
change them to “happens” or “behaved.” Search out every
weak “is” form in your manuscript and find a strong
alternative.

Avoid “Start” and “Begin”–“Just” too

Don’t overuse the words “start to” and “begin.” What
can you do differently? “Start to rub your hands together”
becomes “rub your hands together”; “allow your energy
fields to begin merg ing” becomes “allow your energy fields
to merge.” Are you guilty of overusing these two weak words?

In fact, I’d put the word “just” in the same “weak” category.
I love what one of my subscribers wrote: “I don’t have a
Begin or Start habit. I do, though, have a Just habit. I just
can’t kick it. It just seems appropriate when you just do
something . . . like I just read your newsletter. Without the
just, I could have read it anytime.”

Lazy Linking Phrases

Add to that a few lazy linking phrases like “there are” and
“there will be.”  Rewrite them! For example, “There will be
many representatives elected” becomes “voters will elect
many representatives.” (Better yet, instead of many, use a
specific number.)

Why do I call these phrases lazy? Because they often lead
into long passive sentences that stem the flow and slow
readers down. When your readers have to swim upstream to
follow what you write, they tend to give up. Better to ease
them along with crisp, sharp prose—especially active verbs!

Yes, I do keep beating this drum about active verbs because
they will make your writing better. Change passive to active
and you’ll see how they improve the flow, enhance the clarity,
and add muscle to the meaning.

Challenge: Rewrite these sentences using active construction:

  1. Passive: This policy is being implemented in an effort to streamline our process.
    Active:
  2. Passive: Improvement will be noted in most cases (or instances).
    Active:
  3. Passive: The procedure was changed in order to reduce the necessary steps.
    Active:

Filed Under: Business Writing Tagged With: active construction, active verbs, active voice, Barbara McNichol, better writing, book editing services, business writing, effective writing, nonfiction book editing, passive voice, professional book editing

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