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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

Do You Use These Common Phrases Correctly?

April 20, 2020 by Barbara McNichol

23 Common Phrases You Could be Using Wrong (Infographic)
Source: www.grammarcheck.net

Filed Under: Business Writing Tagged With: #business book editing, #grammar mistakes, avoid writing mistakes, better business writing, book editing services, misused phrases, nonfiction authors, professional book editing, Word Trippers

Whack Extraneous Phrases in Your Writing

March 2, 2020 by Barbara McNichol

Remove unnecessary words and improve your writing skills.

In The Elements of Style, iconic authors William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White called word clutter “the leeches that infest the pond of prose, sucking the blood out of words.”

Yes, the same E.B. White who gave us beloved children’s stories like Stuart Little, The Trumpet of the Swan and Charlotte’s Web also gave us that visceral description…

Whack wordiness

What is word clutter? Word clutter refers to unnecessary words in a sentence. Why – and how – do you eliminate them? If Strunk and White’s metaphor doesn’t make a believer out of you, then read on, because voiding word clutter in your writing will help you become a better, more effective communicator.

To clutter or not to clutter – that is the question.

When writing poetry, descriptive words are acceptable – even expected – because you’re trying to paint a picture with words. The art is in the rhyme, the imagery, the emotions you want to invoke in your audience.

But in business communication, it’s imperative that you trim the excess fat. Your readers are busy like you – they don’t need to wade through extra words to get the meaning of your message. 

No one in business wants to think of themselves as a “cog in the wheel,” but Strunk Jr. summed up the importance of brevity beautifully:

A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.

Your business is like a piece of machinery, and efficiency matters. So, do your reader a favor: tune up your writing and whack out the extra phrases.

Unclutter.

“Word clutter” refers to unnecessary words that don’t add meaning to a sentence. When you’re writing a non-fiction book or an email, whack them out. This often means choosing an active, rather than the passive verb.

Take time to fine-tune your message by whacking these phrases: 

  • “is intended to” or “is meant to” or “is designed to”

Example: “He gives a workshop that is designed to teach writing skills.”

Fine-tune it: “He gives a workshop that teaches writing skills.”

  • “it is all about” or “the fact of the matter is” or “it’s important to remember that”

Example: “It’s important to remember that it’s unwise to drive during a blizzard.”

Fine-tune it:  “It’s unwise to drive during a blizzard.”

  • “is going to”

Example: “She is going to be a key contributor.”

Fine-tune it: “She will be a key contributor.”

  • “In order to…”

Example: “Add keywords in order to describe the new position.”

Fine-tune it: “Add keywords to describe the new position.”

  • “there is” or “there will be”

Example: “There will be several managers attending the meeting.”

Fine-tune it: “Several managers will attend the meeting.”

  • “The reason why is that”

Example: “The meeting has been moved to the 2nd-floor conference room. The reason why is that we need more seating capacity.”

Fine-tune it: “The meeting was moved to the 2nd-floor conference room because we need more seating capacity.”

  • “at this time”

Example: “We’re not accepting any more registrations for the conference at this time.”

Fine-tune it: We’re not accepting registrations for the conference now.”

Never forget: more words don’t necessarily give more meaning, especially in business communication. Your time is valuable. Show respect to your colleagues by trimming your emails, memos and reports – whack wordiness! You’ll be doing your colleagues a favor.

Now, do yourself a favor: get a red pen and take time to read over a recent email or letter you wrote. Ask, “Did I really need that word/phrase?” Circle all the unnecessary words. Then think about the time you could have saved yourself and your reader if you’d left them out! A little investment in time at the beginning of your writing project will save you and your readers time in the long run.

Do you have any “pet peeves” when it comes to word clutter? I’d love to know about them. If you’d like more helpful tips, you can sign up for Word Trippers Tips  or book a WordShop for your whole team to strengthen your business writing skills.

Did you find this article helpful? Then you might enjoy these:

Is Your Writing Pompous?

Poor Writing Means Your Credibility Is at Stake!

Mixing Singular with Plural: Keep the Old Rules with Some New Tricks

This article was originally published on March 26th, 2015, and has since been updated.

Filed Under: Writing Tips Tagged With: #business book editing, concise writing, extraneous phrases, improve writing, nonfiction book editor, Whack Wordiness

Pros and Cons of Using the Oxford Comma

November 1, 2019 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

Oxford Comma Good or Bad? 8 Pros and Cons (Infographic)
Source: www.grammarcheck.net

Filed Under: Business Writing Tagged With: #business book editing, business writing, nonfiction book editing, Oxford comma, proper punctuation, use of commas

How to Talk About Your Book at Holiday Parties – and Get Invited Back

November 16, 2018 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

By Mary Walewski, guest blogger

It’s time for holiday parties—a season when you attend parties where you only know a few people. There you are, chatting away with total strangers when someone asks you what you do for a living.

“I write books. I just published my latest one,” you say.

“Wow, you wrote a book? What’s it about?”

Before you start on a blow-by-blow description of your subject or plot that leaves them looking around the room for somebody—anybody—to interrupt you, STOP.

You’ve just received an invitation to practice your Very Short Description of What Your Book Is About. Its purpose is to keep the conversation going. Most authors feel they need to relay a lot when they’re asked, “What’s your book about?” But that’s not what people really want. They want a one- or two-sentence answer to respond to and generate a conversation.

What is Your Very Short Description?

Before you go to your next party, practice a 10- to 20-second description that will encourage others to respond with questions, not leave them looking for an escape. It’s natural for you to want to tell them all about your book. But, please remember, this is a conversation, not a sales call.

What happens when you begin to describe everything in your book? You shut down the conversation and the other person becomes a hostage to your narrative. Instead, reply with something like, “It’s a mystery novel set in a hospital.” This is short and concise, while encouraging the other person to say something like, “Wow, I’ve always wanted to write a book. How did you get started?”

Then the conversation can continue to a natural conclusion—and that person isn’t suddenly seeing someone across the room to speak to.

Ideas for What to Say at Holiday Parties

Examples of your Very Short Description of What Your Book Is About:

  • If it’s nonfiction, what problem does it solve? Who is it for?
    • “It’s a self-help book for single fathers on how to start dating after divorce.”
    • “It’s a diet book for people who don’t want to give up carbs.”
  • If it’s fiction, state the genre (Is it mystery, detective, romance, etc.) and where it takes place.
    • “It’s a historical novel set during the California Gold Rush.”
  • Who’s your main character and what happens to him/her?
    • “It’s set during the California Gold Rush. It’s about a sheriff who falls for the local madam in a mining camp.”

May all of your conversations at  holiday parties end with “Where can I buy your book?”

Enjoy the season!

Mary Walewski is a book marketing consultant who works with indie authors and publishers. Request her online report The 5 Marketing Habits of Successful Authors at Buy The Book Marketing.com.

Filed Under: Book Writing Tagged With: #betterwriting, #business book editing, authorship, book authorship, book marketing, book marketing consultant, book writing, holiday parties, Mary Walewski, nonfiction book editing, professional book editor, successful authors, talk about books, what is your book about

For Variety, Replace These 22 Common Nouns with Synonyms

July 31, 2018 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

22 Common Nouns & What You Can Use Instead (Infographic)
Source: www.grammarcheck.net

Filed Under: Writing Tips Tagged With: #business book editing, better writing, common nouns, nonfiction book editor, professional business book editing, use of synonyms

You’re Told to Fix and Polish This Message–But How?

June 5, 2018 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

By Barbara McNichol

Suppose your supervisor emails you a message that says, “Fix the attached” or “Polish this piece.” But exactly what does it mean to fix and polish? In addition to correcting punctuation, typos, misspellings, and grammar glitches, what’s required beyond that?

First, find out what your supervisor thinks it needs. Where does it fall short? What’s missing? Whether or not you receive an answer, go through the following key questions yourself:

  1. Why is this piece needed? What’s its intended purpose? Because readers are busy, you must immediately make clear what this message is about. A specific title or subject line goes a long way. For example, instead of writing “For New Customers” you might write, “5 Ways to Communicate with New Customers.”
  2. What should the reader do, think, believe, or remember as a result of this piece? Does the communication specify what you want readers to do and by when? How easy is it for them to first understand the instruction and then take action? For example, if it’s a letter to a credit card company about a dispute, make it clear what you want, e.g., future credit or a refund. Then state when you want a resolution, e.g., “before the next payment cycle on June 23rd.” Put this call to action near the top!
  3. How long should your sentences and paragraphs be? Ensure your message comes across in short, easy-to-read sentences. My rule of thumb is not more than 21 words in one sentence or 3-4 sentences in one paragraph. Why? It’s hard for anyone to track your meaning when sentences ramble, especially when they’re part of long paragraphs. People scan more than they read; they can take in short sentences and paragraphs more quickly than long-winded ones. Don’t make it seem like hard work!
  4. How can you use polite, positive language to persuade others?Remember, a positive outcome should be the goal of every communication. Your objective may be to retain a customer, win a contract, build a relationship, gain approval, or advance a project. Always spell out benefits: e.g., resolution, improvements, increased profit, etc. And be polite by using words such as welcome, thank you, please, appreciate, happy to, and value your input. If your piece doesn’t include positive language, then why send it at all?

When it’s up to you to fix and polish that important message, use these questions as your checklist every time.

  1. Why is this piece needed? What’s its intended purpose?
  2. What should the reader do, think, believe, or remember as a result of this piece?
  3. How long should your sentences and paragraphs be?
  4. How can you use polite, positive language to persuade others?

What essential fix and polish elements would you add to these?

Filed Under: Business Writing Tagged With: #betterwriting #businesswriting, #business book editing, better writing #business book editing, business book editor, business writing advice, essential business writing, fix writing, polish writing, professional business editor

Word Clutter and Extraneous Phrases to Avoid

February 13, 2018 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

Check out all these phrases that add word clutter. Question their use every time. Do you need them in your writing?

20 Clutter Words & Phrases to Avoid (Infographic)
Source: www.grammarcheck.net

What phrases would you add to this list? Share them here.

Filed Under: Writing Tips Tagged With: #business book editing, better writing, extraneous phrases, nonfiction book edictor, professional book editing services, word clutter, words to avoid, Writing Tips

If Only Writers Would Use “Only” Right

February 8, 2018 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

by Kathleen Watson (used with permission)

Inaccurate placement of the modifier only continues to abound.

I’ve written about only before, and I’ve continued to save examples. Those with a misplaced only far outweigh those where only is in the right spot: closest to the word it modifies. Because the margin is so great, I’m climbing back onto my soapbox.

Why does the placement of only matter?

Only as an adjective or adverb means solely or exclusively, single or solitary, which is the case in most of my examples. It implies limits.

use of onlyConsider these three examples from my book, Grammar for Those Who Hate Rules (p. 29), which show that placement of only changes the meaning of each. Then consider how the placement of only applies to the numbered examples that follow.

Only Danny sang at the party. (No one else sang.)

Danny only sang at the party. (He didn’t dance or play the piano.)

Danny sang only at the party. (He didn’t sing elsewhere.)

Correct Onlys

Now let’s jump into my collection. In these eight examples, only is correctly placed. Note that only follows a verb, clearly indicating what it modifies.

  1. Definitions of plain language that focused only on writing proved too narrow.
  2. For a plural ending in s, x, or z, add only an apostrophe to show possession.
  3. Praise the delivery to Norway of fighter planes that exist only in a video game.
  4. The other defendants were charged only with misdemeanors.
  5. Buckeye still has only about 60,000 people.
  6. He engineered a “smart gun” that could be fired only by an authorized user.
  7. If you get input only from your closest circle, you won’t get the whole picture.
  8. It’s not hard to detect when someone wants to hear only praise and support for their own ideas

Incorrect Onlys

In the next examples, only is placed incorrectly. Note how often it precedes the verb, when it is intended to modify what follows the verb (underlined). Mentally put it in its correct place.

  1. We only have one voice of reason in Alaska.
  2. That could discourage widespread acceptance, especially for a product that may only have limited use.
  3. VA Secretary McDonald has only fired three people for their involvement in the scandal.
  4. On Sunday, the Senate only voted on the two amendments McConnell set up,
  5. Reports from Reuters and Politico indicated that the president would only move to end the program after a six-month delay.
  6. We only have so many weekends.
  7. The U.S. Supreme Court has explicitly ruled that blood can only be drawn from drivers for probable cause and with a warrant.”
  8. The current bills would only apply to new employees.
  9. Starbucks announced plans to open stores that only accept mobile orders.
  10. Google is concerned about SSL certificates, which are supposedly only issued after Symantec takes extra steps to verify the identity of the holder.
  11. Do you still only write by hand?
  12. A favorite Rick Perry flub is his announcement that as president he was going to shutter three federal agencies — and then could only think of two.
  13. This doesn’t mean that you can only send a press release for information that would make the front page of the New York Times.
  14. The tour company will only collect tasting fees for one person for each winery.
  15. You only need 10,000 devoted readers to make a living.
  16. When they run a “find word” search of your work and “that” only appears a handful of times, you already have a leg up.
  17. Why does designer Vivienne Westwood only bathe once a week?
  18. The asteroid was only spotted seven hours before flying past earth
  19. You only have room for one blurb on the front and maybe two more on the back.
  20. He is anticipating opposition from some of his fellow Republicans to a bill that only gives dreamers legal status.
  21. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve could only be built if voters approve the proposed construction.

Look for other examples in articles you read and comment below.

Used with if — if only, as in this post’s headline — only can express a wish (If only writers used only right … ) or regret (If only I’d paid attention … ), or it can mean “if for no other reason” (She told him she’d already done it, if only to stop his reminders).

Pay attention to your onlys. Show that you’re an informed, skilled writer, and set a good example for others. Please share this with colleagues, friends, and family.

Kathleen calls herself the Ruthless Editor. She has created Grammar for People Who Hate Rules to help people write and speak with authority and confidence. Kathleen can be reached at kathy@ruthlesseditor.com.

Filed Under: Business Writing Tagged With: #business book editing, better writing, business writing, correct grammar, correct language, grammar rules, Kathleen Watson, nonfiction book editing

Bridge Words for Smoothing Out Your Writing

October 18, 2017 by Barbara McNichol Leave a Comment

Hooked From The First Word: Text Connectors (Infographic)
Source: www.grammarcheck.net

Filed Under: Business Writing Tagged With: #business book editing, accuracy in writing, better writing, bridge words, use bridge words, writing correctly

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