Is there anyone who doesn't love to hate on autocorrect? Well, now's your chance. And, people: When you complete today's writing prompt, please, please, please SHARE your words with us. In the comments here or on Facebook ... Wherever you prefer to share, I want to see them. Because I believe there is great humor [...]
The other night I was listening to my husband and my son playing together. The sound of them laughing together is one of the things that brings me the most joy in life. And it made me think: How would I explain this feeling to someone else? How could I write a description of this [...]
Surprise. It's an emotion that can bring absolute joy ... or the opposite. But one thing is for sure: Surprises are memorable. And the older we get, the rarer they become. I watch my son — all of 2 years old — and the littlest things surprise and delight him. The backyard sprinklers gushing water [...]
One year ago this month, I bought a new car. It’s a mom car. Previously, I’d been driving a two-door Honda Civic that was 13 years old. I loved my Civic. It was reliable and got good gas mileage. But it was far from ideal for the mother of a 14-month-old. I hate, hate, hate [...]
When I taught magazine writing at ASU, the coursework was fairly straightforward — three well-reported feature stories of different lengths. But during our lecture time, I saw an opportunity to work on skills that may or may not be necessary in the stories they were working on. So, during that time, I invited (er, required) [...]
When I taught writing to young journalism students at ASU, there were a few pieces of advice I consistently offered. Gems like don't post your drunken (underage drunken no less!) adventures on social media, and don't be a jerk to your classmates because your paths will cross again. I also always recommended reading. Read, read, [...]
As I prepare to speak to a group of entrepreneurs this weekend about the wonders of content marketing, I've been pondering ways to make this whole content marketing process easier. I pride myself on creating smart, solid content quickly and efficiently. Some days, what we need is the ability to churn and burn on the [...]
This week’s writing prompt is for all you marketers out there. It’s simple yet useful. And here it is: What are the three questions you hear the most from your customers and prospects? As a marketer, you might not hear these questions directly. But through surveys and focus groups, you've probably gleaned the information. (And [...]
The other day, I received an automated email from my pharmacy (a big corporate entity whose name I’m not giving here even though I kind of want to). It seems there’s an “insurance issue” with my son’s EpiPen refills for this year. (For the moment, let’s put aside the fact that “issue” is deliberately vague. [...]
Last week, we talked about what helps you be at your best. This week, we’re thinking about who. For many of us, as we get older (and especially if we get married and/or have children), we find we have less time for people — especially people who don't make life better or easier. I’ve had [...]
