In the early days of the 21st century we literally have a problem. It’s the use – or, more to the point, the misuse – of the word literally. According to a spokesperson for a well-known clothing retailer, a new … Continue reading
Tucked away in a corner of the rather crowded nook that passes for my memory is a fragment of a conversation that I overheard several years ago. Two young soccer fans were discussing players. One of the lads remarked that … Continue reading
Recently, I was given a rather substantial document to read. It was just short of 80 pages long – most of it text. ‘This is going to take me a moment or two to read,’ I said. ‘Well, you can … Continue reading
According to one popular story, the word quiz owes its existence to a Dublin theatre impresario named Daly. Mr Daly is said to have had posters bearing the letters Q, U, I and Z plastered about Dublin one night in … Continue reading
One of my earliest memories of TV is of watching an hour or so of a cricket match. I think the match may have been a test match between England and South Africa – although I can’t be sure. The … Continue reading
To some extent, what we read shapes the way we write. If you read enough clear, concise writing, you are likely to adopt such a style yourself. You may not succeed entirely. But your reader will certainly feel the influence. … Continue reading
‘The desire to write grows with writing.’ – Erasmus
For me, one of the hallmarks of good writing is that each sentence, each paragraph, leads the reader to want to read more. This is as true of a commercial pitch document as it is of a short story or … Continue reading
‘When writing fiction, it is best to use simple language. When writing non-fiction, it is best to use even simpler language.’ – J P Johnson
I believe they are known as ‘where were you when’ moments. Where were you when President Kennedy was shot? Where were you when Neil Armstrong took that one small step for man? Where were you when Elvis died? Unlike many … Continue reading