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Tag: writing tips

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Best Practices Growth Skills

Use Quotations to Enliven Your Writing

Sprinkling quotations into your writing is a very effective way to improve it. Doing this serves a number of functions.

  1. Quotations summarize a point you’re making in your work.
  2. They also emphasize this point.
  3. A quotation by someone both famous and respected gives confirmation to your ideas.
  4. They serve to break up large blocks of text.

Choosing Quotations

I’ve found that the most effective way to find quotes is to search for a topic. For example, if I want a quote from a successful woman entrepreneur, I use that term and put “quotations” in front of it. A number of sites come up, and I scroll through them.

I need to know what I’m looking for before I start reading them. I pick out several that come the closest to my goal for a suitable quote and compare them.

Several factors influence my decision.

How long is the quote? A one-sentence quote is ideal, two sentences if it really makes the point. If it’s any longer, it begins to diverge into something that looks more like text.

Is it accurate?  Random House copyeditor Benjamin Dreyer points out in the hilarious Dreyer’s English the need to verify quotes are accurate. He cites three sources for verifying or debunking quotes:

  • Wikiquote.com
  • Books.google.com
  • quoteinvestigator.com

Who said it? I tend not to use quotations by “Anonymous.” They may sound great, but they lack the additional clout of name familiarity.

I usually don’t use quotes by anyone I’ve never heard of. They have the same lack-of-clout problem. However, bearing in mind that I’m not swimming in the mainstream of popular culture, if the quote really has an impact, I may look the person up. If he or she is well-known, I’ll use it.

Sometimes the person’s name isn’t well-known, but her company is. For example, Debbi Fields is the founder of the Mrs. Fields company. If I saw a powerful quote by her, I would use it and name her company.

If I’ve heard of the author of the quote but think others may not have, I will, as in the case of Debbi Fields, add, “author,” “playwright,” or some other identification.

A different problem can arise if someone who is always quoted made the quote. Yes, Oprah, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk do have a lot to say, but I’d be cautious about quoting them. People might say, “Oh, another Oprah quote” and skip past it.

My rule of thumb here is: The more I see one name in my scanning of quotations, the less likely I am to use it.

I would also avoid using quotations by people who may have a polarizing effect, i.e., those who are on extreme ends of the political/social spectrum. This would depend on what I was writing.

Build a Quotations Collection

The other way you can work with quotations is to collect them so that you have many handy to put into your articles and books. File them in categories so that you can find them easily.

Sometimes you’ll get an unexpected bonus. A quotation may spark in you an idea for an article. You can deliberately activate this effect by going through your collection when you’ve run out of fresh ideas.

I close with this quotation:

A quotation in a speech, article or book is like a rifle in the hands of an infantryman. It speaks with authority.—Brendan Behan, Irish playwright

Pat Iyer is an editor and ghostwriter who helps authors shine. Contact her for a free consultation at patiyer.com.

Categories
Growth Personal Development

Lean Writing: How to Cut the Bloat

Bloat occurs when one word makes another unnecessary.

This post presents tips on unnecessary pairings of words. These pairings weaken your writing.

Free gift: NO! Sorry to shout, but this is the worst of the worst, and it’s creeping like fungus into the wording of countless offers. Use “gift” or “free.” No exceptions. Or, for truth in advertising, if the gift isn’t free, write, “some strings attached”—which no one wrote ever or will.

My personal belief: If it’s yours, it’s personal. The same applies to saying, “My own.” The use of “personal” or “own” implies a need to make sure your claim is clear.

Plan ahead: Have you ever planned behind?

Possibly might: “Might” and “possibly” suggest “maybe.” Choose between them.

Protest against: A protest communicates that one is opposed. You don’t need to say “against.” This is different from using the word, “argue,” since you can argue either for or against.

Unexpected surprise: What is an expected surprise?

Unintended mistake: We can safely assume that a mistake is unintended.

Absolutely certain: Certainty is its own absolute. Avoid “Absolutely,” as an adverb. As an adjective, it can be used with caution. “It was an absolute victory.” That would mean that the victory was unquestionable.

Actual experience or actual fact: “Actual” is generally a tricky word. People use it to give emphasis to something as being real. However, “This was my actual experience” doesn’t make it more believable. In similar vein, a fact is a fact. It has been confirmed as true.

Postpone until later: See “plan ahead.” No one postpones until earlier.

Add an additional: There’s a big clue in this pairing. “Add” is part of “additional.” This is the best possible sign that “add” is unnecessary. Subtract is from your writing. Or subtract “additional.”

Added bonus: This is the cousin of “free gift.” A bonus is something added.

Advance notice: Giving notice is letting someone know something in advance. You can use either “advance” or “notice,” but not both. And please correctly use “advance”. You should have an Advance Directive, not an Advanced Directive to specify your healthcare wishes.

Ask a question: This is so commonly used that most people don’t pay attention. However, to ask is to question.

Usual custom: Customs are what is usual. You don’t need both words.

Difficult dilemma: Dilemmas are never easy. You can eliminate “difficult.”

Direct confrontation: A confrontation is always direct.

End result: Results always occur at the end of a situation or series of action. You don’t need “End”.

Sneaky Redundancies Are the Opposite of Lean Writing

These combinations are  subtler and require thoughtful editing. Look for words in a sentence that say the same thing, i.e., one of them is redundant.

“This winter we may potentially have mild weather.”

“May” and “potentially” say the same thing. Eliminate “potentially.”

“The existence of mild oceanic temperatures implies that global warming may be accelerating.”

“May” is unnecessary in this sentence. Replace “may be” with “is.”

This series doesn’t cover every unnecessary word. Develop a healthy suspicion about your writing. Practice learning to make each word earn its place so you have lean writing.

Pat Iyer is an editor and ghostwriter who works with business people to present their polished best writing. Reach her through patiyer.com.

Categories
Best Practices Growth Personal Development

Active Wording Attracts Active Readers

Passive sentence construction can drain the power and focus of your writing.

In general terms, passive voice means a combination of a verb with “was,” “is,” “were,” “will be,” or any other form of the verb, “to be.” The accompanying verb will usually end in “ed.”

Here is an example.

Passive: The first day of my new position will always be remembered by me with terror.

Active: I will always remember the first day of my new position with terror.

In this instance, be remembered and remembered are, respectively, the passive and active forms.

The meaning of this sentence has a lot of potential power. “Terror” activates strong emotion. However, “be remembered” distances the emotional impact. “Remember” in its active form makes it more immediate.

Sometimes Passive Voice is Appropriate

Writing has its rules, but none of them are ironclad.

The most common use of passive voice is in situations where either we don’t know or don’t care who caused a situation.

“In the resulting shootout, three people were killed.”

We don’t know who killed them, and to say, “In the resulting shootout, three people died” doesn’t specify the violent nature of their deaths.

“She was robbed.” Again, we don’t know who did it. Rewriting the sentence to say, “An unknown person robbed her” would subtract from the impact of the act. People might focus on wondering who this person was, but the important fact is that she was robbed.

“Her teeth were shaped like daggers.” We don’t care who shaped them, and we don’t want to meet her.

“The meat was overcooked, but we were hungry and ate it.” We don’t care who overcooked it. Hunger is the point of this sentence.

Why People Often Use the Passive Voice

People usually write technical or business pieces in passive voice. That, I suppose, gives them a distant and impersonal tone that someone decided long ago was appropriate to such writing.

Unless you are writing such a piece, you don’t want a distant and impersonal tone. You want to communicate with your reader. You want them to feel that you are writing for them. Active verb forms convey this.

Author Stephen King believes that passive form suggests a kind of timidity about direct assertion. He suggests that cautious, unassertive authors take refuge in the tone of technical writing.

If you come from a technical writing background, I recommend that you pay special attention to searching your writing for use of passive voice, as it will be automatic for you. You’ll see how much more alive your writing becomes with the increased use of active voice.

Authorities generally recommend that no more than ten percent of your verb constructions be passive. That doesn’t mean you need to eliminate this form entirely.

Use it deliberately to vary your sentence construction.

No rules in writing are ironclad. What matters is whether you’re breaking one out of ignorance or on purpose. In other words, know the rules and break them only when it improves your writing.

Pat Iyer is one of the founding members of the C-Suite Network Advisors. She is an editor, ghostwriter and online course creator. Connect with her on patiyer.com.

Categories
Best Practices Growth Personal Development

5 Grammatical Mistakes in the C Suite

After proofreading thousands of reports, I prepared this list of 5 grammatical mistakes.

Do you want to present yourself a well-qualified communicator, one who understands how your clients, both internal and external,  scrutinize every word you write?

Here is what NOT to do.

Don’t confuse possessive and plural

Not sure when to use an apostrophe? Plurals mean you are referring to more than one. Possessive means you are describing ownership. I know many people who can’t figure out the difference between these two.

Wrong: “She was responsible for preparing the marketing plans’ for the company.”

Right: “She was responsible for preparing the marketing plans for the company.”

Don’t add an apostrophe to a plural word unless you are using the possessive form.

Don’t mix up hyphens and dashes

This is another sign of an inexperienced writer. What’s the difference between a hyphen and a dash?

A hyphen is also called an “n dash” whereas a dash breaks up a sentence and is called an “m” dash. Keep these separate in your mind by thinking of the fact that an “n” is less wide than an “m”.

Hyphens punctuate words.
They link smaller words to make compound words: 66-year-old.
They link an adjective before a noun: month-long orientation.

Dashes punctuate sentences.
They make a detour around the main idea of a sentence to add an aside. Use two dashes in a sentence if the interruption comes in the middle of the sentence.

“The new hire–who spoke limited English–could not read the employee manual.”

A dash is twice as long as a hyphen. Note there is no space before and after either a hyphen or a dash.

Don’t use insure, assure and ensure interchangeably

Although these words sound alike, they have different meanings.

Insure means to protect against loss.
Assure means to pledge or give confidence to people. (Reassure has the same meaning.)
Ensure means to guarantee or make certain.

  • You contact an insurance carrier when you want to insure your car.
  • You talk to the attorney when you want to assure him the case is defensible.
  • You speak to the assistant when you want to ensure you receive all of the records.

Don’t confuse principle and principal

Principals are people. You dreaded being sent to the principal when you were in school. The principal was not your pal. A principal is a person in control.

Principal also means main or primary. “Our principal need is to be sure we have named all of the possible defendants.”

Principle is a rule or guidebook. “It is against my principles to not refund the unused portion of a retainer.”

This is an example of using both words in the same sentence: “The principal of the company asserted that the firm would not violate its principles.”

Don’t use colons incorrectly

Colons tell your reader to come to a stop. Use them to introduce a list, such as a list of initiatives.

Mr. Guthrie directed the sales department to focus on these actions:

  • Close more sales
  • Identify the most commonly heard objections
  • Reduce the sales cycle

Don’t put a colon after a verb or the object of a preposition.

Incorrect: Please email me: the names of the vice president of sales, marketing director and CFO at Nonny Corporation.
Correct: Please email me the names of the vice president of sales, marketing director and CFO at Nonny Corporation.

The part before the colon must be able to stand alone as a complete sentence.

Also correct: Please email me the information I need to complete my database: the names of the vice president of sales, marketing director and CFO at Nonny Corporation.

Pat Iyer is a C Suite Network Advisor, ghostwriter, and editor. Request her free editing checklist at www.editingMybook.com.

Categories
Best Practices Personal Development Sales

The Power of Headlines in Writing

Many features can make or break the power of headlines to draw in a reader.

Length Matters

Google usually displays 50-60 characters of a headline, so, regardless of a headline’s length, the beginning needs to be compelling. In general, for English-language headlines, 60-100 characters is the ideal range depending on where your headline will appear.

To break it down further, don’t exceed 34 character in an email headline. This is the number of letters and spaces that will be visible on a mobile phone. Because 55% or more of people read email on phones, they won’t see the rest of the headline.

Facebook headlines should be around 40 characters, Twitter, 71-100 characters, and LinkedIn can range from 80 to 120 characters.

The Numbers Game

 “10 Ways to Conquer Your Phobias”

According to many surveys, putting a number into your headline makes it more attractive. Some surveys say that 10 is the most popular number; other claim that it’s 7.

Numbers make it appear that the article will provide straightforward and practical information, i.e., a “how-to” feature.

I don’t, however, recommend a title that reads something like “101 Things You Must Do Immediately in Order to Succeed.” The reader knows that she or he is never going to do 101 things immediately and will feel that reading the article will be a) pointless or b) frustrating.

Use Emotional Words

 Below is a list of some of the most successful emotional words used in headlines.

  • Free (always a hit)
  • Fun (Who doesn’t want to have fun?)
  • Must-have (What must I have?)
  • Effortless (I need some of that)
  • Special Offer (always tempting)
  • Last Chance (even more tempting)
  • Approved (that sounds legitimate)

You can see a long list of emotional words at https://media.coschedule.com/uploads/180-Emotional-Words-List.pdf

Emphasize the Practical Nature of the Information

Words like “lessons,” “reasons,” “secrets,” “key,” and “trick” are especially successful when combined with a number. “10 Secrets to Transform Your Marriage” could be an effective headline.

I don’t care for the word “hack,” as in “life hacks,” but it deserves to be included here.

Make a Factual Claim

Avoid clickbait, which is an incongruent headline. Clickbait refers to content that deliberately misrepresents or over-promises something. It can be used to entice someone to click on a link that will take them to a web site.

When used in headline content, it attempts to induce someone to read the article.

Readers feel tricked by clickbait. I wouldn’t write a headline that said, “Let Us Teach You How to Become Irresistible.” You can’t deliver on that promise.

“I Can Teach You How to Plant a Beautiful Garden” or “I Can Help You Cut Your Cooking Time in Half” make reasonable claims for people experienced in these respective areas.

Study the Power of Headlines

How better to use your time while you’re waiting on a supermarket checkout line than to scan magazine headlines? I recall my children reading the bizarre headlines In wonderment. “Mommy, are there really aliens in New Jersey?”

Although I don’t advocate using these kinds of headlines, It Is worthwhile to study the ones that create curiosity.

Also, look at Facebook and LinkedIn headlines to focus on the ones that attract you.

Then practice. Ask others to rate your headlines. It can take time to capitalize on the power of headlines, but it’s time well spent.

Categories
Best Practices Marketing Personal Development

Use Adverbs with Caution

I could have written “cautiously,” but I didn’t want to be guilty of using an adverb before I’d even begun the body of the article.

I say “guilty” because adverb overuse is one of the cardinal errors of writing.

What Is An Adverb?

Adverbs provide additional description to verbs, adjectives, another adverb, phrases, sentences, or clauses. Often, but not always, they end with “ly.”

They ran quickly.

She was very beautiful.

She so hoped that she would the prize.

What’s Wrong With Adverbs?

The above examples look harmless. This is why they’re not.

“They ran quickly” is awkward and doesn’t provide a strong visual image.

Try

  • “They raced.”
  • “They dashed.”
  • “They hurried.”

Each of these changes implies speed and urgency much more effectively than the original.

“She was very beautiful” is equally awkward, in part because “beautiful” might seem like an absolute. If someone is more than beautiful, try “gorgeous,” “stunning,” or “breathtaking.”

In “She so hoped that she would win the prize,” “so” is meaningless. It doesn’t suggest how much she hoped. Was she eager, desperate, anxious? We have no idea.

An Indictment of Adverbs

“I  believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs.” —Stephen King in On Writing.

King gets to the heart of why adverbs don’t add much to writing. He says in using them, writers signal that they haven’t expressed themselves clearly. The adverb gets tacked on for additional emphasis.

And they have a tacked-on feeling. That’s why “ran quickly” and “very beautiful” sound so awkward. They’ve been added without a feeling for elegant writing. When I say “elegant,” I don’t necessarily mean great literature. I mean something you can read without getting jolted by literary potholes.

Show, Don’t Tell

One of the biggest problems adverbs present is that they tell, rather than show.

Consider the following examples.

  • “He spoke angrily.”
  • “He growled.”
  • “He roared.”

Examples 2 and 3 give the reader a sensory impression. You can hear and feel a roar or a growl.

Whenever possible, replace a verb and an adverb with a stronger verb.

Don’t Throw Out Adverbs Altogether

Occasionally, adverbs have their purposes. The general opinion about their recommended usage is about once in every 300 words.

If you want to measure your adverb use, do a word count on something you’ve written and then read it and count the adverbs. If the count is within the 1 to 300 ratio, you’re fine for frequency, but also look at how you’ve used the adverbs. If you can find a way to replace them with stronger verbs, do so.

Your readers will thank you.

Pat Iyer is a ghostwriter and editor. People hire Pat who want to write a book without writing a word. Reach her through her website at www.editingmybook.com. She is one of the original 100 C Suite Network Advisors.