4 ways to start a writing habit

“Forget about inspiration and get into the habit of writing every day. Habit has written far more books than inspiration has. If you want the Muse to visit you, she needs to know where you are: so stay at your desk.” — Sir Philip Pullman, author of “His Dark Materials” For PR Daily readers—who spend their working lives crafting messages for companies, clients, leaders, co-workers or employees—this advice is tough to take on. The last thing you want to do at the end of the day is work on your memoirs. Yet, you can motivate yourself by creating writing...

How to nail subject-verb agreement

About half of all grammatical errors are mistakes in the use of verbs. As professional writers and editors, we sometimes focus so much on choosing the right verbs that we forget the basics of these powerful and sometimes troublesome parts of speech. Here’s a brief look at two problem areas involving subject-verb agreement.   Collective nouns Collective nouns define more than one person, place or thing (e.g., team, class, audience, panel, staff). These nouns take either singular or plural verbs, depending on whether the word refers to the group as a unit or to its...

Do you believe in “old writer̵...

If you spend your life writing, you know that much of your time is spent staring at the page or screen trying to think of what to write next. Maybe you know what to write next, you just can’t land on the right words. Maybe you found the right words, but self-doubt has crept in and you want to start over. This may be why writers have so many quirks, odd habits and superstitions. Dr. Seuss wore a hat when he felt stuck. Isabel Allende begins writing all her books on January 8. Charles Dickens always slept facing north, believing it made him more creative. Since it’s...

10 post-holiday gift ideas

Didn’t get exactly what you wanted for the holidays? Want to pick up a little something for yourself? Start with these great gifts for writers and readers: 1. The Qwerkywriter S keyboard This is truly one of the best gifts I have ever received. This keyboard has the feel of a vintage typewriter (with loudly clicking keys, scrolling knobs, and a return bar) and the function of a modern keyboard (with Bluetooth, function keys and a command Windows/Apply key). With keys engineered to feel and sound like a mechanical typewriter, you’ll be looking for reasons to write with...

What those performance review phrases ac...

For many of us, January is performance evaluation time. Whether you’re writing one for your employees or will soon be the recipient of one from your boss, we can all use help understanding the “HR speak” so prevalent in these documents. What follows is a sampling of phrases from performance reviews, along with their possible translations. How many of these have you seen . . . or used? Phrase: Does not understand the importance of corporate attendance policies. Translation: You’re late every day. Phrase: Demonstrates an entitlement mentality. Translation: You think...

Write your way through a tough conversat...

It’s an occupational hazard . . . disagreements with other writers and editors about matters of style or preferences in punctuation. (Serial comma? Did someone say serial comma?) And while we are perfectly at ease arguing the merits of the singular they or the correct way to punctuate bulleted lists, we are not always eager to manage other types of conflicts. No one wants to initiate a difficult conversation or to deliver bad news. Why not using your writing skills to help? Think of your next difficult conversation or meeting as a writing assignment and turn it into a...

Words with silent letters that trip up w...

As writers and editors (and PR Daily readers), most communicators are all above-average spellers. You’re the one others call for spelling advice. You’re the one who correct what the spell-checker has mangled. You’re also the one who remembers the spelling rules you learned in second grade. Yet, sometimes even you can get stumped and stunned by spelling. That’s how you spell that word? For the incredulous among us, below are 23 words that trick even confident spellers with silent letters and other quirks. 1. Aplomb — self-confidence 2. Acquiesce — to give in 3....

37 alternatives to the word “seaso...

Have you ever referred to your boss, executives, or co-workers as “seasoned?” “Ann is a well-seasoned marketing executive.” “Jaden is a seasoned lecturer with 20 years of experience in high tech.” Please stop. I know, I know. Part of our role as corporate communicators is to write profiles and bios for our clients and executives. And sometimes it’s difficult to come up with new ways to describe our subject’s work experience. But “seasoned” describes food. Pork ribs can be seasoned. Grilled vegetables can be seasoned. People cannot be seasoned. Next time...