The gift that keeps on giving
Quick! Which is more effective?
A simple metaphor?
Bobby Holloway says my imagination is a three-hundred-ring circus.
— Dean Koontz in Seize the Night
Or an extended metaphor?… Read the full article
Ann Wylie’s blog of writing tips
How to create metaphors and similes
3 ways to craft clever figures of speech
When a Hollywood pitchman wants to sell a new horror film about a rampaging dog, he doesn’t have time to explain the storyline.… Read the full article
Don’t mix metaphors — and other metaphor ‘don’ts’
Do sync with the subject, don’t write a groaner
Don’t mix metaphors. Fewer are more persuasive. Choose one concept for comparison and stick with it.… Read the full article
New Year’s Writing Resolutions
8 of my favorite tips for 2023
I’m a poor resolver. For many years, my New Year’s Resolution was “I resolve not to resolve,” which made me a bit of a Grinch at New Year’s Day parties.… Read the full article
Why is the writing process important?
It helps you Write Better, Easier & Faster
When I’m feeling whiny about how hard writing is, I turn to my file of quotes from the pros.… Read the full article
How to overcome writer’s block
Work with, not against, your brain
I don’t believe in writer’s block. Never had time for it. Blank page? I’ll take two, please. I’ve never met the muse.… Read the full article
What is the writing process?
3 steps to Writing Better, Easier & Faster
While we talk a lot about what to write — More stories! Fewer words! Shorter sentences! — we don’t focus so much on how.… Read the full article
Creative templates outperform thinking outside the box
Templates more effective than brainstorming, free association
Can creativity be templated?
Yes it can, according to a team of Israeli researchers.
In 1999, the researchers studied 200 ads that had been award winners or finalists in top advertising competitions.… Read the full article
Create fill-in-the-blanks story writing templates
Save time, effort when you stop reinventing the wheel
What a great assignment I just completed for a technology comms team: I templated their blog posts, intranet announcements, lead generation emails, news releases, speeches, success stories and white papers.… Read the full article
Why use a story structure?
Plus: 18 writing templates to try
People remember information better when stories are organized according to well-known structures. (Mandler and Johnson 1977; Kintsch, Mandel and Kozminsky in 1977; Mandler 1978; Stein 1976; and Thorndyke 1977)
The reason: People have mental frameworks — aka schemata — that they’ve built through experience and instruction.… Read the full article