Learn how to write great copy February 27, 2010

“Copyblogger was founded in January of 2006 by Brian Clark. Brian is a writer/producer, entrepreneur, and recovering attorney.”

Brian Clark writes a blog that has been rated among the top ten blogs on marketing by a bajillion national and international companies. Ok, maybe I exaggerated, but his blog, Copyblogger, has “over 100,000 subscribers and more than 240,000 unique monthly site visitors.”

With numbers like those, Brian is obviously doing something right, and it would be in a copywriter’s best interests to learn from him. Fortunately, this is an easy task because Brian has posted his wisdom all over his blog.

If you would like to learn the basics of writing copy, you can do so by reading his blog archives. Start here: “Copywriting 101: An Introduction to Effective Copy.”

You can also sign up for his updates and/or his newsletter; and no, he’s not paying me to promote his blog, I just find it an incredibly useful source of learning power.

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

How to punctuate run-in/horizontal lists February 24, 2010

Why punctuate lists?
Most of the time lists are personal and don’t need punctuation, but when it comes to writing lists for publication, you need to make sure you have your commas and colons in the right places.

Some general things to remember
All lines in a list should be more or less the same—a list of words/ a list of sentences/ a list of single items, etc.
Short lists don’t need to be written vertically.
Lists don’t need numbers or letters.
                                                                                                                                
If you use letters or numbers to list things horizontally, only begin your list with punctuation if the word before the list is a preposition (on, in, before, if, etc.) or a verb (action word).
Do your homework (a) as soon as possible, (b) with no distractions, and (c) on clean paper.

You’ll get no pocket money if you don’t write: (a) as soon as possible, (b) without distractions, and (c) on clean paper.

If you introduce the list with a clause, it should end with a colon before the list begins.
Here’s what you need to do your homework: (1) a quick start, (2) no distractions, and (3) clean paper.

                                                                                                                                
Each item on a list should be separated by a comma, but if a comma is needed internally in one or more of the items listed, each item should be separated by a semicolon.
You need to begin your homework as soon as you get home; not let anything distract you, like the music; and write on clean paper.

I thought for a while about the women on my husband’s hottie list: that tall redhead; the blonde, the one who holds that airgun between her teeth; and the brunette with the braces; and I decided they have nothing on me because I am loved for who I am, not for what I represent.
                                                                                                     
I much prefer vertical lists, and I love to use bullet points even more—they make lists look cleaner and more professional. There are other punctuation rules for vertical lists, though, and I’ll get to those in another post.

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Make a simple flyer with Word. December 8, 2009

There comes a time for most writers when they wish they could do simple design work. A simple flyer, a brochure—couldn’t be too hard . . . could it?

If you want to do graphic work, you must have graphic software, and most writers only have Microsoft Word 2003. So what can you do? Use Microsoft Word.

Directions for making a simple flyer
Open a new Word page.
Write the text you would like for your flyer.
Block your text from beginning to end with the mouse.
Click on “Format” in the top line of buttons on your screen.
Click on “Borders and Shading.”

Those tabs
Borders is for a border around the text you block.
Page border puts a border around the entire Word page.
Shading shades in the space you have blocked.

Borders and page border
The left column helps you decide on the type of border you’d like.
The middle/style column helps you to pick out the border width, color, line thickness.
The right column asks you if you want a border around all of the text or just one side of it.

Shading
Click on the color you would like your box to be filled with. There are more than the colors you see to choose from—click on “More colors.”
The “style” button is for choosing how solid or see-through you’d like the color to be.

You can use your new image in your documents. So far, I have not been able to save it as a useable image with any other program, but I know it has something to do with saving the image as a PDF first.

Keep in mind that this flyer will only be a low-quality printed work, but knowing how to do this can give you the confidence to break into higher-tech learning in the future.

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

The 2009/2010 top blogs on writing November 30, 2009

Michael Stelzner posts a yearly list of the top ten blogs for freelance writers. This year’s list is compiled from hundreds of votes, and here’s where you can find it.

Michael is the author of the very popular “Writing White Papers” blog. He has a book out—Writing White Papers—which tells writers how to write white papers or grow in their skill level. He’s also one of the big dogs when it comes to writing for major clients like Microsoft and Motorola, and he currently has 20,00 subscribers to his blog, so don’t limit yourself to following the top ten list; follow his blog, too.

More about Michael and how he can help you write and market your white paper writing skills.

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

How to write academic sentences November 20, 2009

For those of you who like to sound as if you are from an elite group of academia, here is a handy-dandy tool to help you out.

                                                               
                                                               
Make you own academic sentence.

Simply choose from four drop-down boxes to create your next sentence of genius.

If you don’t like the way it sounds, you can change it or edit it, or simply start over.

If you’d like to learn more about how to sound boring smart, you can teach yourself here.
                                                               
                                                               

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Commonly misspelled words October 24, 2009

There are written words that people misspell, and seeing them causes my fists to form and my brain to scream. . . . Here are the culprits:

Alot
There is no such word.
A lot
I ate a lot of candy.
Her brother is a lot nicer.
She jogs a lot.
———-
Your (these things belong to you)
Your purse, your house, your car, your boyfriend.
You’re (short for you are)
You’re skinny. You’re kind. You’re smarter than I thought.
———-
Affect (verb/action word)
He affects my heart.
Her sharp words affected my emotions.
Effect (noun/person, place or thing)
The swine flu had a bad effect on my lungs.
His kissing had no effect on me.
———-
Alright
Used a lot but not correct
All right
She drank all right, and she felt sick the next morning.
———-
Than (for comparison)
He is taller than her.
She is more beautiful than that actress.
Then (relates to time)
And then we quit writing.
We ate and then we drove home.
———-
Further (abstract)
Don’t push me any further!
Her imagination went further than she wanted it to go.
Farther (distance)
The plane went 150 miles farther than the airport.
The coach made us run farther than we had ever run before.
(I remember this because farther has the word far in it.)
———-
There (a place)
No, she doesn’t live here, she lives over there.
He went there yesterday.
Their (belongs to them)
Their testimonies are exaggerated.
Their kids are wild.
(This is also easy to remember because there has the word here in it.)
———-
Bear
I can’t bear (carry) this heavy burden.
Love bears all things.
Bare
She bared (exposed) her soul.
Her feet were bare (shoeless).
———-
Lose (used more often as a verb)
I can’t lose you, you cannot leave me!
And when did your husband lose the remote control?
Loose (used more often as an adjective)
Wow, your pants are really loose on you! You must have lost a lot of weight.
She’s a loose woman, a nymphomaniac.
Loose/loosen, when used as a verb
Loose (completely release) me, set me free!
Loosen (partially release) my shackles and I will run far from here.
———-
Hopefully this will help those of you who are not gifted with good spelling.

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Writing the synopsis September 24, 2009

A synopsis is a short summary of a novel, movie, play, etc. Apparently there is a huge benefit to doing this—you get to examine your story and see if there are any holes in the plot, any developmental lack in the main characters, or any unbelievable occurences throughout the story. For me, it’s as comforting as dissecting a (dead) cat and laying the parts on a gurney for inspection. I mean, come on, who wants to take a beautiful story and rip it into little scientific shreds?

Editors do.

Agents do.

Why?
Because they are busy people. They can see in the first three paragraphs if your writing is worthy of their time. If they like it, they can look at your summary/synopsis and decide in seconds if the story is worth reading. Some do it the other way around—they check out the storyline first and then look at your writing. Either way, they need that synopsis.

How long does it need to be?
It varies. Usually the submission guidelines will let you know exactly how long it needs to be. Some agents like it to be one page long and unspaced, others prefer the longer version of about five to six spaced pages.

How do I know if they want a synopsis at all?
Read the guidelines!

Where do I begin?
Skim through your novel and highlight all the important, key parts of the story. Then put them all together to see if you can tell the story on one page. Don’t worry about the subplots, they just make things more interesting. You are focusing on the two (or three) main characters because they rule the story you are trying to tell. Don’t worry about the sentence flow or grammar at the moment, just read it through to see if it includes all the key points. This will be your rough draft.

I’m already overwhelmed.
We all feel that way. You just have to grit your teeth and get on with it, though.

Here is a good list of more tips for writing the short version. (Ignore the “don’t give too much away” comment. The agents wants to know the whole thing. They just don’t need the smaller details. You’re giving the overview.)

And here are two great examples of what you’re going for.

Once you feel that you have nailed the key points, make the sentences flow and try and fit in a little of your voice. Sometimes, because you are limited to one page, the summary can sound stilted and boring. See if you can take out any more smaller details so that you can add in some suspense or humor to it.

N.B. DO NOT SEND IT IN until you feel that it covers exactly what you want to say, the way you want to say it. I know, I understand, you are excited; BUT if you can curb your enthusiasm a few more days until you are delighted with it, chances are, the agents/editors will be too.

The long synopsis
What? This is even worse than dissecting a cat! I couldn’t agree more, but like I said, grit your teeth, and get on with it. The long synopsis is going to be the long summary of your novel. It should fill about three pages before you double space it. Some evil people might even ask for a ten to fifteen page synopsis. . . . (Just pretend you didn’t see that.) What you’ll need to have in there for both MC 1 & 2 are:

1. Opening/intro/hook

2. Who are they, what do they want, what’s your promise to the reader

3. Main goal throughout the story, what kicks them into gear, flaws/fears in action

4. Internal and external tension, conflict, and POV (point of view)

—Keep developing the plot in each MC

—More conflict

—Some redeeming powers to overcome conflict (repeat these three ad nauseum as plot builds)

5. Darkest moment

6. Break free/wow moment

7. Wrap it all up

Here is a great example of a longer plot synopsis from My Book Therapy with the whys added in.

Lisa Gardner has some tips for writing an even longer synopsis.

And, as I’ve mentioned before, if you need a break to go and laugh about summarizing your novel, visit angry alien. Hopefully you will be refreshed and inspired upon viewing.

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Writing air quotes September 11, 2009

Quotation marks are used for speaking most of the time, but they are also used for the classic air quotes, an annoying habit if ever there was one. They are the poor man’s visual for quotation marks.

The problem when writing air quotes is this: Where do you put the period? The other problem is: Why the overkill?

Perhaps we are becoming wittier with our freedom of speech, perhaps we are just becoming more stupid, but no matter, quotation marks are used to separate “special” words from the rest of the flock. We can use them to be ironic, sarcastic, shocking, different, metaphoric, funny, and other things we come up with to get attention.

For example
I’m “thirsty,” said the vampire. (implying he wants blood)
You’re so “pretty.” (as in, a certain generic prettiness of the area)
I see you got some “sleep” last night. (implying you were up all night with your new boyfriend doing the business)

The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS), 15th edition calls them scare quotes in section 7.58. “Quotation marks are often used to alert readers that a term is used in a nonstandard, ironic, or other special sense . . . They imply ‘This is not my term,’ or ‘This is not how the term is usually applied.’ Like any such device, scare quotes lose their force and irritate readers if overused.”

In section 7.59 it says: “A word or phrase preceeded by so-called should not be enclosed in quotation marks. The expression itself indicates irony or doubt.”

And in 7.60 “Phrases [that are] recognizable to the reader are often enclosed in quotation marks, with no source given [although more common expressions don't usually require quotation marks].”

Here in the US, the quotation marks go in the same place they always go—after the comma or period.

And now, words of wisdom to the “wise.” Quit reading my drivel. Go get your “bad” self off the computer and do some writing. Your book “needs” you.

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Ellipses, dots ( . . . ) periods . . . August 13, 2009

Ellipses are those dots that people put in their writing. . . .
Mirriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines an ellipsis as a mark showing an omission (as of words) or a pause. The singular form can be either written as ellipse or ellipsis; the plural is ellipses.

While I would love to write a long and intelligent article about ellipses, there are times when others seem to do such an excellent job (writing on the same subject) that it makes more sense to link to their input rather than write almost exactly the same thing myself. The Grammar Girl is one such writer, and here is her take on ellipses.

The Guide to Grammar and Writing suggests putting brackets around the ellipses in sentences.

A teacher from UsingEnglish.com talks about putting a space . . . between each dot of the ellipses, rather than have them all squished together like the seven dwarfs in one bed (my simile). His statement is backed up by both the CMS and the MLA.

All I will say about ellipses . . . is that I like using them when I want to make a reader slow down . . . and think about what I’ve written. . . .

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Using Commas before Names or Titles August 1, 2009

An appositive is an adjective that means: relating to.
Apposition is when you have two nouns that refer to the same thing, i.e. girl/Sarah or dad/Henry or Ms. White/teacher.

So when you have these two nouns, that relate to each other, sitting beside each other in a sentence (now called appositives), do you use a comma to set off the second one or don’t you?

See if you know by mentally putting commas where they should go:

1. My younger brother John made me dinner.
2. Mr. Smith’s wife Jackie made a fool of herself.
3. My friend Flora played with me.
4. One of her novels Sniffling in the Wind has had its film rights acquired.

1. My younger brother, John, made me dinner.
I only have one younger brother.

2. Mr. Smith’s wife, Jackie, made a fool of herself.
Mr. Smith only has one wife (at least, we hope so).

3. My friend Flora played with me.
I have a few friends.

4. One of her novels Sniffling in the Wind has had its filming rights acquired.
She’s written a few novels.

In other words, if the information after the noun is vital, you don’t set it off with commas. If it is not vital, then you do.

Vital=no commas
Not vital=commas
                                                               

Let’s see if you got the hang of it. Figure out where the commas go again.

1. Tom Cruise’s role in the movie Jerry McGuire catapulted him to fame.
2. The school’s director Mr. Bellringer was not impressed with the boys’ behavior.
3. Benaiah son of Jehoiada chased a lion down into a pit.
4. The fourth president James Madison was born in 1971.

1. Tom Cruise’s role in the movie Jerry McGuire catapulted him to fame.
2. The school’s director, Mr. Bellringer, was not impressed with the boys’ behavior.
3. Benaiah son of Jehoiada chased a lion down into a pit. (Assuming that Benaiah was a common name back then, which would make the extra information essential.)
4. The fourth president, James Madison, was born in 1971.

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM