Single point, simple message
You can’t cram size 10 hips into a size 4 skirt. And you can’t cram too many messages into a single piece.… Read the full article
Ann Wylie’s blog of writing tips
Good interview questions for an article
Go beyond the five W’s
Who? What? When? Where? Why?
Those questions are journalistic tools that can help us find great life stories — or condemn us to a lifetime of cranking out just-the-facts-ma’am pieces.… Read the full article
Make your key point in writing
Use it as a headline, deck or nut graph
Once you’ve found your focus and written your one-sentence story summary, use it.
A well-written summary statement can become a headline, deck or theme sentence.… Read the full article
What is a story angle?
4 ways to find your focus
My favorite scene in “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” is when Steve Martin finally blows his stack at John Candy’s irritating character.… Read the full article
Squeeze the angle of a story into one sentence
Write it on a sticky note
How do you squeeze a big idea, more than 18 months of research and input from more than 3,000 constituents into a sound bite that expresses the whole purpose of your organization?… Read the full article
What are the 5 steps of the creative process?
Write better, easier & faster with this system
Have you ever come up with a brilliant idea — on the way home from the brainstorming meeting?… Read the full article
Analyzing is the 2nd creative process step
Look for themes, holes, relationships, structure
What’s the best way to come up with great ideas? What are the thought processes that drive the world’s most creative individuals?… Read the full article
Read like a writer, write like a reader
To become a better writer, read better writing
When I entered first grade, I got a brand-new red text called We Can Write What We Can Read.… Read the full article
How does reading help you become a better writer?
Find a mentor in your favorite communications
I recently sent one of my email pals a plea for holiday reading recommendations. “Read The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron,” he responded.… Read the full article
How to read like a writer
Make Churchill your muse for executive sound bites and more
Edward R. Murrow said of Winston Churchill: “He mobilized the English language and sent it into battle.”… Read the full article