Parentheses don’t belong in your c...

Recently, I tried to explain to my 9-year-old son about the use of parentheses. Here’s how the conversation went: He: Mom, how do you know when you’re supposed to use parentheses? I: You use them around words that seem a bit out of place in the sentence. If you’re trying to explain something or make something more clear, or provide extra information, you put that in parentheses. He: Then the reader doesn’t really need to read what’s in parentheses? I: Not all the time. He: Then why put that information in there at all? Now, my son is not at all fond of writing....

10 more made up words

Today is Thesaurus Day. On this day, we celebrate, note, mark, observe, and commemorate the birth in 1779 of Peter Roget, author of Roget’s Thesaurus; we also honor words. To mark the occasion, we’re sharing 10 words you won’t find in Roget’s, because they’re made up. Last week, I shared some of my favorite made-up words, among them: beertastrophe, slacktivist, and voluntold. I also asked PR Daily readers to offer some favorite coinages. Here’s what you came up with. Use them wisely; these words are too marvelicious to waste. 1....

12 fantabulous made-up words

I write and edit for a living, so I often think of words as my currency. I love to share them, trade them, and stash them away for later use. Though I don’t often get to invent words as part of my job, I love to read about words that others have created. Below is a list of my favorite fictional words. You probably won’t find these in the Oxford English Dictionary any time soon, but let’s have some fun with them. Try using one in conversation with your co-workers or in your next staff meeting. 1. Beardspiration — a person whose beard is so inspiring, it causes...

New year’s resolutions for writers

It’s that time of year—time to look at our 2013 resolutions and to begin the performance review process at work. Though I’ve put off writing my self-assessment for weeks, I’ve had fun with my New Year’s resolutions. This year, all my resolutions are related to writing. Here are my goals for 2013:   1. Never use the word “utilize” There is no good reason to use “utilize” because “use” will do just fine. It’s a lazy, useless corporate verb, and it has to go. Therefore, I will not use “utilize” in any press release, article, Web page, or...

19 businesses with creative names

This year, I spent a lot of time editing corporate drivel. I’ve changed “utilize” to “use” more times than I can count. To take a break from this mind-numbing task, I like to play with words. Lately, I’ve noticed puns and creative word play, particularly when they are applied to the names of businesses. Here are some of my favorites, in alphabetical order: 1. Austin Found – resale shop 2. Barton Strings – a string quartet, a play on words for Barton Springs, a spring-fed pool in Austin. 3. Cycloanalysts – bicycle shop 4. Doody Calls – pet waste removal...

Thoughts on editing, inspired by “...

One of my favorite Christmas movies is “A Christmas Story.” Although we don’t like it enough to sit through TBS’s annual 24-hour marathon of the film, one of our traditions is to watch it once at this time of year. In case you haven’t seen it, the movie is about 9-year-old Ralphie Parker and a central plot line is his quest to get a Red Ryder BB Gun. Whenever he asks for the gun for Christmas, he invariably is told, “You’ll shoot your eye out.” In one sequence in the movie, Ralphie’s fourth-grade class is told to write “a theme” on the subject,...

5 great books for the writers in your li...

In addition to any of the items on PR Daily’s 20 holiday gifts for writers, what else would the writer in your life really enjoy this holiday season? How about books that can help make his or her job easier? Here are five titles that any writer will enjoy: 1. “Lifetime Encyclopedia of Letters,” by Harold E. Meyer This book contains sample letters for “virtually every business and personal letter you’ll ever have to write.” And the author means every letter. Meyer has letters for telling someone a meeting is unnecessary, firing a babysitter, answering...

7 key elements of micro-editing

I’ve previously shared my 4-step editing process; today let’s examine one of those steps: micro-editing, which focuses on the sentence level. Typically, it deals with the “technical” aspects of the article, such as sentence structure, style, usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation. For now we’ll set aside spelling, punctuation, and grammar, and look at seven other aspects of micro-editing: 1. Strive for clarity. Does the reader understand what you are trying to say? No matter whom you write for, your audience will appreciate clear, concise language. Keep the...