Tips & Tricks

Why punctuation matters

Your audience cares about punctuation, even if they don’t know it. Imagine you’re driving down a road, trying to get to your destination as quickly as possible. Suddenly there’s a speed bump, followed by some litter in the middle of the street. Then you see a sign that sends you in a completely different direction. Read more about Why punctuation matters[…]

Webinars, brand plans, blogs & more: The other side of Dossier

I’m pretty excited about a few things I’m working on. In May I’m presenting a two-part webinar called Starting a Freelance Editing and Writing Career. It’s based on a seminar I’ve given for years and I’m really looking forward to meeting a new batch of word nerd entrepreneurs. In part one we’ll cover Getting Started: Read more about Webinars, brand plans, blogs & more: The other side of Dossier[…]

Social media for business: Worth your time or waste of time?

Recently I had a terrific, stimulating discussion with Debra Yearwood of CommStorm about how clients often want to talk about social media. Now, I love social media for connecting people and raising awareness of social causes, which I use to help organizations with fundraising and promoting events on tight budgets. But if you’re counting on Read more about Social media for business: Worth your time or waste of time?[…]

Time is pie — is your project slice big enough?

One of the biggest problems I see with projects is time – people make the mistake of not giving each step enough time to be done well. Often there is a set date, such an event, for which a publication has to be produced. Imagine there’s a trade show you need a brochure for, a Read more about Time is pie — is your project slice big enough?[…]

Language changes & grammar evolves: Why it’s okay to not listen to your English teacher sometimes

“But my Grade 8 English teacher taught me that. Why would she do that if it weren’t true?” That question came from a client who was not accustomed to being edited. The problem was, we were working on a press release about software that integrated into existing databases. Somehow I don’t think that’s what his Read more about Language changes & grammar evolves: Why it’s okay to not listen to your English teacher sometimes[…]