Category Archives: Editing and Language
Upcoming Webinar: Transferring Editorial Skills to the World of Content Design
On September 24, 2024, I’ll be hosting a webinar with Editors Canada about how editors can transfer their proofreading, copy editing and structural editing skills to the world of tech as content designers. This webinar is meant for writers and editors who may be experienced in their current fields, but are new to working in…
It’s OK to Write Multiple Drafts
Sometimes, your initial UX writing drafts fall short. It’s ok to rewrite things and suggest design changes. Here’s a quick example of that.
How to Edit FAQ Pages
If customers ask certain questions so often that your company requires a dedicated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the answers should be so obvious that they write themselves, right? Not quite. Creating a user-friendly FAQ page can take a lot of work—and, frankly, I think it’s kind of fun. In fact, for a while I…
4 Print Advertising Mistakes You Should Avoid
I get several flyers in the mail every week. Most are conventional: coupons, sales, and so forth. However, I sometimes find one that catches my eye. Unfortunately, one caught my eye last week for the wrong reasons. It was such a jumble of information that I had no idea what to focus on when I read it —…
What Are the Different Types of Editing?
Amid all this talk about plain language and writing web copy, it seems like a smart idea to pull back and look at things from the other side. A lot of the myths about editors out there exist because people don’t really know what editing entails. So what do you do if you think you’re looking for…
Need a Crash Course on Web Copy? Try “Nicely Said”
Title: Nicely Said: Writing for the Web with Style and Purpose Authors: Nicole Fenton and Kate Kiefer Lee Publisher: New Riders Publishing Rating: 4 out of 5 Format: Print Writing can be a daunting prospect for many people, and the way that the internet has changed both how we write and how we read can…
How Crutch Words Weaken Your Writing
Whoa! The “4 Myths About Editors” post has really taken off in the past few days. Thanks so much for all the positive feedback! What I want to talk about today is related to one of the myths I discussed in that post: the idea that an editor will change your voice so much that it won’t sound…
4 Myths About Editors
What editors do is often kept hidden. In fact, a good editor is supposed to remain invisible by giving the text enough care and polish that it shines brightly and speaks for itself. The thing is, when your goal is to be invisible, people get a distorted image of what you actually do. Myths about editors exist, and…
The Value of Plain Language
One of the hardest lessons I ever had to learn as a writer was that using complex words was not a sign of good writing. It’s a natural assumption to make. “Good” writing means writing that sounds “smart” — and what’s smarter than using vague or polysyllabic words that you really have to think about to understand?…
What Taco Bell Can Teach You About Bad Business Copy
Do you know what your business copy says about you? Not what you think it says, but what it actually says? What if you want to look professional and competent but your business copy is secretly undermining you? Would you be able to see what you’re doing wrong? Many don’t. But some do, and they know how to use…