tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89845453373067722002023-06-20T05:51:15.121-07:00Waste Management WomanDon't waste words -- manage your message with clear writing.Waste Management Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06201855375610941164noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984545337306772200.post-42045795612429561772010-04-21T13:45:00.000-07:002010-04-21T14:33:23.430-07:00He knows the importance of able writingI was talking to someone from a huge national company the other day and what he had to say warmed my heart, soothed my mind and showed that some smart people in power know that effective communication comes through knowing how to write well.<br /><br />His company is bringing on an internal communicator not only to help get across the company's message to those in and out of the company, but to offer employees of all rank -- including executives -- a chance at improving their writing skills.<br /><br />I've been saying for a long time -- to anyone who will listen -- that we have a workforce in sad shape when it comes to communication. From poor grammar skills to muddled sentence structure, too many people are harming themselves and their companies by not accomplishing good basic writing. (And, don't get me started on bloggers. Many are fantastic communicators. Too many are wasting your time and theirs through incomprehensible wordage and phraseology. No matter what message they want to get across, they aren't doing it.)<br /><br />Too many of my college students are coming to me unprepared to write a simple, clear cut, thoroughly understandable sentence, let alone an entire story. I can only imagine, and shiver at the prospect, of what lack of writing skills nonjournalism students are bringing into the class and beyond to the workforce.<br /><br />From the trucker hauling a load to the entrepreneur staring a new business, everyone has something worthy to say and needs to have his or her writing stand up to the message. So, when my new acquaintence from the huge national company said he wants to give everyone in the company a chance to improve their writing skills, I jumped for joy.<br /><br />Now there's a true benefit, one that will last a person the rest of his or her life. Little beats getting your message across -- be it memo, e-mail, white paper, report, policy statement, letter, press release, refrigerator note or blog. <br /><br />Giving his employees the chance to learn new writing skills, or polish their old ones, shows a caring vision. <br /><br />What are you doing for your employees?<br /><br />Cheers from,<br />WMWWaste Management Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06201855375610941164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984545337306772200.post-14135450297004437592010-03-02T12:02:00.001-08:002010-03-02T12:35:56.520-08:00Don't be denseGet to the point. Hit "enter" and start a new paragraph.<br /><br />These two simple steps will improve any Web writing. Too much content is too dense to quickly understand, and darn dense just to look at.<br /><br />I don't get it. Online is all about speed and efficiency in getting information. Yet, mostly I see writing that one has to wade through to figure out what's actually being said.<br /><br />Don't obscure your point with needless lead-ins.<br /><br />Don't try and impress your reader; reach your reader with a clear, concise, to-the-point message. Let readers know right off what you're talking about, or run the risk of losing them.<br /><br />As non writers proliferate online writing, they tend to write within the comfort zone of their own jargon, often obscuring their message instead of presenting it clearly. Don't do that. <br /><br />Make your first paragraph no more than 25-30 words. And, make it about what is the most important concept you want your reader to grasp.<br /><br />Then, make sure to write in short paragraphs -- two to three sentences at the most. More than that, and you are visually challenging your reader. You're hurting their eyes and brain.<br /><br />It's a case of word overload in too small a space. If it looks dense, the writer sounds dense.<br /><br />Your words will have more impact if they stand out, not if they appear crowded. <br /><br />This came home to me today when I was taking a mini vacation from work and actually reading my Twitter. My quest for calm and relaxation was fractured with the first item I linked to.<br /><br />It was something I wanted to learn about, but when I clicked on to the page, the first two graphs were super long and I never did figure out what the writer was trying to say. Then, I just didn't care.<br /><br />So, instead of being remarkable, it was forgettable. I don't think you want that as a writer. I certainly don't as a reader.<br /><br />Yours,<br />WMWWaste Management Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06201855375610941164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984545337306772200.post-90407337624088504602010-01-04T17:34:00.000-08:002010-01-04T17:48:06.484-08:00Comma-toseToo many commas make me seasick. I don’t do well with sudden and frequent near stops. Ocean waves and curvy roads can be my undoing. (I’m even getting a little nauseated just conjuring up these images).<br /> <br />You can imagine what too many commas do to me. Let’s not even get into semi colons, or I’ll end up in urgent care.<br /><br />I love the smooth ride, the smooth read. Commas should be used sparingly and correctly. There are specific times to use a comma.<br /><br />My husband says one of the worst things teachers tell students is to put in a comma to indicate a pause. “Let’s call it garbage,” my writer/editor husband says in keeping with the name of this blog. “The pause rule is just too damn vague,” he says.<br /><br />Use a comma:<br /><br />• after an introductory clause.<br />• in a series.<br />• between independent clauses that use a coordinating conjunction. <br />• to offset a non essential clause.<br /><br />Otherwise you have disrupted your writing flow, and that’s never a good thing.<br /><br />A buddy of mine wrote something along the lines:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“On Jan. 12 the University of Gibbonsville, will start its newest adventure. That day, a new class on writing will be offered.<br /><br />I am very proud to say that I will be leading the efforts, of the new writing class.”</span><br /><br />He would tell you that he put commas where he paused. Hmmm.<br /><br />Of the three commas used in these three sentences, one is used correctly. (There’s a possible case to be made for using one after “On Jan. 12,” although I tend to leave commas out in two-to-three-word introductory clauses).<br /><br />Do you know which commas are used incorrectly?<br /><br />Unless it’s one of the four instances outlined above, and you’re in doubt, leave the comma out.<br /><br />Yours in the new year,<br />WMWWaste Management Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06201855375610941164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984545337306772200.post-47101340703481438472009-06-01T07:50:00.000-07:002009-06-01T08:28:32.674-07:00It Makes An A - - Out of You and MeToo many of the bloggers of the world either think no one is reading their blog or everyone is. If you're journaling for yourself, okay, but if you want to share you thoughts, you need to be clear.<br /><br />Besides the grammar, spelling and sentence structure mistakes that confuse readers, too many bloggers assume the reader knows what they are talking about. Not so.<br /><br />When many of us pull up a blog we're lost. There isn't any background or context to give meaning to what's newly written.<br /><br />Bloggers need to find a few words to explain <em>why</em> the reader should be reading this post, what's <em>new</em> about this information, <em>how</em> does it relate to what's been said before and <em>how/why</em> it matters.<br /><br />Before hitting the send button, you, the blogger, need to ask yourself if what you've written can stand alone. Would someone who's finding your blog for the first time understand your latest entry? (Hint: if a reader needs to read all entries to understand your latest, you'll likely lose them.)<br /><br />Yours,<br />WMWWaste Management Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06201855375610941164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984545337306772200.post-37047332919891345642009-05-28T11:12:00.001-07:002009-05-28T11:12:04.484-07:00The Twitter Explosion | American Journalism Review<a href=http://shar.es/XnB5>The Twitter Explosion | American Journalism Review</a><br /><br />Posted using <a href="http://sharethis.com">ShareThis</a>Waste Management Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06201855375610941164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984545337306772200.post-50800375020377999262009-05-13T11:22:00.000-07:002009-05-13T11:35:34.331-07:00Let Me Help YouBeyond my tips, please consider hiring me to help you communicate better through your writing, whether in your workplace or your everyday life. I want to help.<br /><br />If you don't want to hire me, cool, but keep reading the blog and offer suggestions on what you'd like me to write about.<br /><br />Yours in Waste Management,<br />Christia<br />christia@writeimage.orgWaste Management Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06201855375610941164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984545337306772200.post-28185563359961002662009-02-21T13:19:00.000-08:002009-02-21T13:55:51.040-08:00That's It -- PeriodI've recently been thinking there really are just two little things that would improve any kind of writing from e-mails to business letters to letters to insurance companies to whatever it is you need to write.<br /><br />Don't bother with colons and semi colons, stick to periods. And, divide your writing into shorter paragraphs.<br /><br />Keeping it simple means keeping things more understandable.<br /><br />Take the first graph above. Here's how it could be better:<br /><br /><em>I've recently been thinking there really are just two little things that would improve any kind of writing.<br /><br />They work well whether you're writing e-mails, business letters, letters to insurance companies or whatever it is you need to write. </em><br /><br />See what I mean? There's beauty in simplicity.<br /><br />Yours in waste management, WMWWaste Management Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06201855375610941164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984545337306772200.post-83281200998611199162008-12-30T19:59:00.000-08:002008-12-30T20:02:15.359-08:00Spell it wrong at your perilWords have power; misspelled words have the powere to make you look stupid. Texting aside, you need to spell correctly. It’s a competitive world out there. Somebody else can … spell correctly, that is.<br /><br />I recently received some writing in which <em>quizzes</em> was spelled <em>quizes</em> and <em>knowledgeable</em> was spelled <em>knowledgable</em>. Misspelling undercuts your message. It’s difficult to take the poor speller seriously.<br /><br />It’s never been easier to spell correctly. Use spell check – although pay attention to too, to, two; their, there, they’re; and your, you’re.<br /> <br />Buy a dictionary. There is a ton of good information in the book and everything is spelled right.<br /><br />Yours in waste management, WMWWaste Management Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06201855375610941164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984545337306772200.post-2344346221914772482008-12-28T18:10:00.000-08:002008-12-28T18:23:16.212-08:00Road Signs: Trouble ahead.Tell your reader what to expect. It keeps them engaged and appreciative that you’re not wasting their time. Who wants to get to the end of a letter, policy, e-mail, memo, whatever only to realize there is nothing that truly interests or pertains to them?<br /><br />Lay it out pretty high in whatever you’re writing.<br /><br />I got a Christmas letter this season that teaches the lesson well.<br /><br />The daughter-in-law of one of my best friends charmingly warns to expect Smiley faces and exclamation points as she tells the tale of her family’s year. (Knowing this up front greatly reduces how annoying they can be.)<br /><br />She goes a step further and lets the letter reader know there will be headings in case one wants to skim to the parts he or she is most interested in. <br /><br />We can all learn from her thoughtfulness and respect for her reader.<br /><br />Yours in waste management, WMW<br /><blockquote></blockquote>Waste Management Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06201855375610941164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984545337306772200.post-29024644165223086352008-10-24T06:31:00.000-07:002008-10-24T07:00:14.814-07:00Who cares? What does it mean? So What?These questions are the beginning of writing. In finding the answers to them, you've found something worth saying. Every story, e-mail, policy statement, brief, letter to a client, blog entry, memo to staff, report and note to a friend has an audience and to keep that audience, tell them something worthwhile. Don't waste their time.<br /><br /><em>Who cares?</em> Consider whether what you're writing is going to the right person. Consider why that person should read what you have to say. Find the words to make your reader care. If you can't, maybe you don't have enough to say at this particular time to this particular reader.<br /><br /><em>What does it mean?</em> This is a two-prong question. First, your message needs to have some substance. Secondly, it needs to be written carefully and clearly so it can be understood easily and fully.<br /><br /><em>So What?</em> The answer, or lack of answer, to this question sets the course of when and what you write. Don't waste someone's time if what you have to say doesn't really matter.<br /><br />Yours in waste management, WMWWaste Management Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06201855375610941164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984545337306772200.post-14699350471258980182008-08-24T11:18:00.000-07:002008-08-25T09:58:09.195-07:00Mother knows bestHaving trouble figuring out who your audience is? Who is on the other end of your writing? Or, you know who you're writing to, but just can't get started?<br /><br />Picture your mom. She’s smart, doesn’t let you get away with anything, demands accountability and has impressed upon you, roughly since birth, that you need to be responsible for your actions.<br /><br />Picture your mom when you write.<br /><br />She is your first and longest-running editor. As you write, keep to her expectations. She doesn’t want her time wasted, she seeks facts, and she’s more than capable of making up her own mind – as long as she’s supplied with clear, intelligent, meaningful information.<br /><br />Platitudes (as in too many adjectives) don’t cut it with her. Get to the point, she’s a busy woman.<br /><br />So is your reader.<br /><br />Yours in Waste Management, WMWWaste Management Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06201855375610941164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984545337306772200.post-45218139539909203852008-08-01T12:39:00.000-07:002008-08-01T12:47:03.403-07:00Who needs them?As with nails screeching across a chalkboard, so is my squirminess at the use of the words “thus” and “therefore.” If you wouldn’t say them, why would you write them? If you are saying them, what century are you from?<br /><br />These two words are never needed. Put them in the word Dumpster.<br /><br />They add nothing to a sentence, thus are jarring. See what I mean?? It’s stronger to say: “They add nothing to a sentence. They are jarring.” These two words just look funny and you don’t want to send your reader some subliminal message that you’re a pompous writer. One little unneeded, funny-looking word can distract your readers and they disconnect with what you poured your heart out writing and crank up the iTunes.<br /><br />The life lesson here? No one has time for a show off.<br /><br />Yours in waste management, WMWWaste Management Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06201855375610941164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984545337306772200.post-46300306990825796732008-07-26T22:13:00.000-07:002008-07-26T22:36:37.308-07:00Waste is a terrible thingQuick advice: Just drop "in order to" from your writing. It's wasteful. When you next get the urge, delete those three little words and see how you've empowered your sentence. Same goes for "in fact." Ditch those words; not needed. Don't let anything get in the way of you getting to the point of what you want to say. Less is more -- three words you'll hear often from me.<br /><br />That said, I'm wondering about other kinds of waste. The waste of energy doing the wrong thing, when the right thing is far easier to do. The waste of time spent on people not worth your while -- I don't advocate rudeness, I just don't think you owe everyone a piece of you. (I've learned this the hard way -- I'd write "very hard way," but that would be a waste of the word "very" when "hard" says it all.) Save your precious self for those who count.<br /><br />I'm hoping to offer food for thought on all kinds of waste; life is about managing it. I don't come close to having all the answers, but sometimes it's the right question that brings you to enlightment.<br /><br />Yours in waste management, WMWWaste Management Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06201855375610941164noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8984545337306772200.post-6023060798624200752008-07-26T19:50:00.000-07:002008-07-26T22:13:18.995-07:00Don't waste your talent<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Whatever you do, don't undermine your efforts with clumsy writing, poor grammar and unclear thoughts. It doesn't matter how smart you are, how glib, how talented. If you can't get your smarts across with the written word, you're forgettable at best, and unforgettable at worst.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Find the power of your words by not wasting them.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Think about this. With so much writing on the Internet, shouldn't yours be among the best? With so much competition in the business world, shouldn't your message be the one that matters? If grades count to you, shouldn't your writing?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Shouldn't you stand out from the crowd?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Let me help you with the waste management of language. Let me show you just how outstanding you can be.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Yours in waste management, WMW</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#330033;"></span>Waste Management Womanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06201855375610941164noreply@blogger.com1