Disrupt your market - but not your customers’ peace of mind.
This is a post about disruption. Not whether your business should do it or not – that’s a whole other area of expertise – but whether you should include it in your customer communications. Spoiler alert: no, you shouldn’t! There are much better words to use instead.
Oxford commas - all you need to know
Oxford commas are (briefly) back in the news. What are they, why do they matter, and really, who cares? All you really need to know about grammar’s most contentious punctuation point.
The Star Wars rule that really matters - and how it can improve your copy.
Yes, yes, Star Wars is all about the Hero’s Journey. But there’s a more important lesson that copywriters can learn from Star Wars and Harrison Ford’s thoughts on its rather ropey script.
Watch out for camels! What to do about copy by committee.
A camel is a horse designed by committee. Weird-looking, flat-footed, and bad-tempered - the perfect metaphor for any piece of copy or content that has too many authors.
Let’s work together: the stress-free way to get great copy.
I’m here to make the production of great copy, content and stories as straightforward as possible. There’s enough things to get stressed about, without me adding to it. My 4D approach does just that - so you know what to expect at every stage.
How much does it cost? Value-pricing good copy
Somewhere deep in my DNA is a strong aversion to talking about money. However, I’m also a freelance business owner, which makes the subject pretty much unavoidable. Here’s my guide on how I go about charging for copy and content.
Why words matter
A picture does not paint a 1,000 words. Not even close. Especially when you want to be clear about your message.
From the archive: Jargon is a plague on all our houses
From the archive: in honour of Art Basel, a piece on International Art English, jargon and writing to exclude not include.
From the archive: How not to produce great content
I write this post back in 2013 to rant about content farms and reverse auction sites. The world has moved on since then but the main points still stand. As does my rage at firms who wriggle out of paying a living wage!