Category Archives: Writing

To boldly go…grammar rules are there to be broken

Social media, Talking to your customers, Talking to your employees, Writing

Nurse: “Would you like me to gently prop you up?”
Elderly patient: “My dear, try never to split your infinitives.”

BlackboardSplit infinitives. Does anyone care anymore? Well, yes, lots of people do care and I’m not knocking them. Having said that, language changes and evolves, and so should our interpretation of the rules.

 

A pedant’s obsession with rooting out split infinitives for example, seems unnecessary particularly when a re- write would sound, well;

Nurse: “Would you like me to prop you up, but gently?”

…clumsy.

It’s important to know what’s wrong and what’s right, but good writing can exploit that knowledge to flout the rules and create interest. The point being: Rules. Are. There. To. Be. Broken. Sometimes.

And, another thing, who said you can’t start a sentence (or a paragraph) with a conjunction? But just make sure you don’t overdo it.

How to be a champion blogger…(in thirty seconds)

Social media, Writing

So you’ve set up a blog on your website. What next?

Have a view; be short and punchy; be topical; invite (and make it easy for) people to share your blog. Pictures too. Readers love those. Particularly ones of cuddly cats…

Lion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What else? Oh yes:

  1. Readers
  2. Like
  3. Lists

They also like links to other useful sites.

And like a well functioning digestive system, good blogs appear regularly and often.

Oh, and don’t go on. In the digital age, attention spans are notoriously short…hello? Anyone still there?

Every great beginning needs a great ending

Talking to your customers, Talking to your employees, Writing

Imagine Usain Bolt (it is Olympic year so forgive the gratuitous sprint metaphor I’m about to indulge in – hopefully the IOC won’t get me for ambush marketing either) exploding from the blocks, shattering the opposition as he disappears in a rocket fuelled haze of power and pace.

Somewhat disappointingly, despite leading all the way down the track, he fails to dip for the line and Seb Clarke, a surprise late entrant to the GBR team, pips him for Olympic gold.

My point?  

Well, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a good piece of writing always starts with a good opener. But that shouldn’t mean the finisher can’t be a blinder too.

Finish with some pace; a call to action perhaps, a firm or controversial conclusion; or another question. One tip is to try and tie the conclusion back into opening – it’s sort of a reward to the reader for making it to the end (like the comedian’s punch line).

But whatever you do, don’t slow as you approach the finish line – put your hands in the air and dip for glory (can you see what I did there) and take the acclaim for a piece well finished.