It seems snobbish, doesn’t it? Dividing people into different categories. On one side, formally-educated writers; on the other, dynamic bloggers breaking down the old rules. So, which one is best? Writer v Bloggers: Which One Are You? Let’s flip this around. In reality, neither are ‘best.’ They both offer different types of services. However, I […]
Author Archives: Anthony James
05
Oct
Oct
J.K. Rowling said that she never wrote with a specific audience in mind. When she started to write Harry Potter in a cafe, her priority was to get the story down first and let the rest take care of itself. This approach may work in fiction but can you apply it to business documents? In […]
I don’t know about you but I was always a bit scared of fasting. Somehow something might go wrong. So, it’s one of those things that, while it seems like a good idea, I leave to others. Until recently. For an annual checkup, I had to fast for 12 hours – yes, I know – […]
13
Sep
Sep
Before we start. Should it be people’s or peoples? I bet you noticed that, right? I do. @denise_bryson admits, “I’m such a grammar nazi that if I spell something wrong in a tweet, I have to delete it.” Of course, Nazi is spelt with a capital N but we’ll try to be good and let […]
09
Sep
Sep
Every writer’s dilemma. Should I use a Mac (silver, cool, sassy) or a PC (grey, practical, and mother of Clippy)? Let’s pretend we’re rationale human beings for a minute. Someone asks if they should stick with the PC they already have or become one of the beautiful people by buying a Mac. Yes, it’s actually […]
07
Sep
Sep
Can Twitter really, really make you a better writer? It’s just texts, right? I avoided Twitter when it first came out. It seemed trite. Silly. I had better things to do. But… something gnawed away at me. Maybe I was the one missing the point. Worse, maybe I was missing out on business leads, sales […]
What’s the difference between writing for mobile phones (iphone) and other types of writing? Instead of giving a short answer, let’s look at how to write mobile content from a few different angles. Over the next 5 weeks, I’ll write more articles about mobile content development. If you like it, let me know and I […]
Most people wag their finger and tell you cliches are bad – Google clichés in writing! – but I have a certain warped affection for them. Here’s why. Where do clichés come from? One of the occupational hazards of being a writer is that you see things that others don’t. Y’know, like clichés? Let’s look at […]
Can power users make or break a new product, even before it hits the shelves? When developing your marketing plan, give some consideration to how power users (usually the early adopters) will relate to your product. Why is this important? Power users, especially if they have a blog, social capital, or newspaper column, will be […]
I don’t know about you but I feel it’s time to bury ‘killer’ headlines. Once upon a time… killer was fresh. It had an edge. Attitude. But then it went mainstream. A bit like Talking Heads. Remember Psycho Killer? David wouldn’t write that now… or get away with it 🙂 Why Killer Headlines? Is there […]
