When it comes to tools that help me do my job better, free is always good in my book. When writing web articles, writers often need to know how many times they have used particular keywords and keyword phrases. Some employers specify a particular keyword density, while others ask for some keywords to be [...] [...more]
It’s no secret that I love being on WritingUp (despite the frustrating downtime) - and now I’ve got one more reason to love it. I’ve said elsewhere that blogging is good for writers. One of the reasons is because it gives them a chance to show off their writing skills. The other benefit comes with [...] [...more]
I’m just starting a new gig for a writing website. (Sneak preview is available here.) While I was checking over my articles, I noticed that some strange characters had appeared in the text. I knew immediately that the error came from Microsoft Word. Word is one of the best of Microsoft’s programs, but all its [...] [...more]
Even on holiday, I couldn’t stop thinking about my blog. I knew it was in good hands, but I kept having ideas for blog posts. One particular incident made me think of revisiting a post I did on interviewing. In that post I gave the following advice about interview preparation: Interview preparation recap People want to read [...] [...more]
You would have realized from my posts that I’m all about “the job�?. Preparing for it. Landing it. Keeping it. Getting paid for it. Today, I thought I’d write about “being good at it�?. So as I cast about in my mind for how to handle today’s topic, I was inspired by an amazing book [...] [...more]
Freelancing is tough. What’s even tougher? Finding that perfect job on craigslist…and then realizing you have no samples to send. So do yourself a favor, build a portfolio. Here are my top 5 tips for showcasing your clips: 1. The First Shall Be First Lead with your strongest work. One killer campaign is better than [...] [...more]
Has this ever happened to you? You submit the best copy you’ve ever written. On time, too. You feel really good about your work. Got a good vibe from the client…and then they never call you back. What the heck happened? Read on and weep. The Proof Is In the Proofing Take the tale of the copywriter [...] [...more]
You may not know they’re there, but they guide every piece of news you read, watch or listen to. The people who prepare the news probably don’t think about them either. What does it take for a story to make the news? Not every event that happens makes the news. In fact, you may sometimes wonder [...] [...more]
Overwhelmed If you’re a writer, there’s no such thing as the paperless society. At least, there isn’t for me. When I started out in journalism, my desk was always covered with the stories I was working on (this was before computers). As a sub-editor, I also had to deal with other people’s stories that I was [...] [...more]
It’s finally happened. You’ve hit the wall. The dreaded writer’s block has struck and you’re being outstared by a blank screen. What do you do? Where do you turn for inspiration? The answer may be closer than you think. Writers are often told to write what they know. So what do you know? My response: you [...] [...more]
