In what now seems like another life, I used to write copy for a number of internationally advertised brands and products. One of my favourite products in the early days was Volkswagen – in particular, the ‘ugly duckling’ that was … Continue reading
A friend of ours reckons that he has yet to meet a man who does not consider himself to be a better than average driver and a better than average lover. I sometimes feel that my own experience of would-be … Continue reading
‘Grammar is a piano I play by ear.’ – Joan Didion Every now and then I seem to get into a discussion – OK, an argument – with one of the many self-appointed members of the language police. ‘You must … Continue reading
Back in pre-email days, Dean Acheson observed that ‘most memos are written not to inform the reader but to protect the writer’. I was reminded of this last month when I received a missive from a service supplier. It was … Continue reading
Back in the days when all good ‘newspapermen’ carried a stenographers’ pad, several sharp pencils, and an Olivetti Lettera 32 portable typewriter, one of my cousins spent her days asking who, what, where, when, and why, and writing up the … Continue reading
It never ceases to surprise me just how many smart, intelligent people hold the same views as me. I am equally surprised by just how many stupid, misguided people hold contrary views. Of course, this may have something to do … Continue reading
‘Gradually, as the time invested by the average writer and the average reader in the average sentence falls, society’s ability to communicate in writing decays.’ – David Gelernter In my first ‘proper’ writing job I was lucky enough to have … Continue reading
‘Say all you have to say in the fewest possible words, or your reader will be sure to skip them; and in the plainest possible words or he will certainly misunderstand them.’ – John Ruskin Recently, an academic friend expressed … Continue reading
The beginning of a new year is a time when many people resolve to make changes. For some people, this might include resolving to become a more effective writer, writing with greater clarity and with more style. If you are … Continue reading
‘It has shrunk!’ ‘Yes,’ I told the document’s author. ‘I removed some of the words and phrases that added nothing to either the substance or the tone. But if you think I have been too severe ….’ ‘Umm … no,’ … Continue reading