In Chapter One of William Zinsser’s classic guide to writing nonfiction, On Writing Well, he tells the story of sitting on a panel of two, answering the questions of a group of students and teachers eager to hear about the … Continue reading
Going through some old papers, I recently came across a note from a writer friend who died at a relatively young age. She had trained as a journalist and then tried her hand (unsuccessfully) at novel writing. While waiting for … Continue reading
When I first began writing for a living, I was surprised by how much effort it took to write a few hundred words of clear, easy-to-read prose. There was the gathering of the raw materials: the ideas, the facts, and … Continue reading
One of my vivid memories of life in the First Form was a pin board that displayed ‘Work we are proud of.’ As I recall, it was covered with rather indifferent prose written by people who, nevertheless, had neat (and … Continue reading
More than half of the documents we are commissioned to edit and enhance are directed at board directors and senior business executives: CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, CMOs. These are people who make the decisions that ultimately enable their organisations to succeed … Continue reading
Way, way back, I had the opportunity to work with a writer who was seriously under-rated. It wasn’t that he wasn’t known. He was a high-profile man-about-town: the star of many a party; the host of many a fine lunch. … Continue reading
Shortly before she died, a writer friend gave me a copy of R L Trask’s Mind the Gaffe: The Penguin Guide to Common Errors in English. ‘I think that you and Larry will get on very well,’ my friend said. … Continue reading
Not everything you write is worth your reader’s reading. Most writers, having toiled over a piece of prose, are reluctant to admit that, sometimes, what they have written is simply not good enough. Perhaps it doesn’t say what they need … Continue reading
I have spent my working life in the communication business. I have written for print media. I have written for radio. I have written for film and TV. And, for a good part of the past 20 years, I have … Continue reading
A year or two back, we were approached by a fast-talking (literally) businessman with a bunch of almost totally unrelated ideas and sentences that he wanted us to assemble into ‘a key document’. ‘What’s the key message of this key … Continue reading