Should you avoid there is/there are at the beginning of a sentence? The short answer: Yes. Is it incorrect? No. But let's be honest, you can do better. Using "there is" or "there are" sounds a little Dick-and-Jane, and readers expect more from you, unless you're using it for emphasis. These phrases, although not curse [...]
In marketing, the CTA (call to action) is everything. CTA this, CTA that. What’s the CTA here? This needs a stronger CTA. We talk up the CTA so much that even our family members know what the initialism stands for. (And yet, somehow, after all these years, Microsoft Word still thinks I’m trying to type [...]
Don’t you just love writing days? You leisurely pour your coffee, sit down at your computer and let the words flow for hours and hours. You get blog post after blog post written — all before lunch — and all is well with the world. Hahahaha! In reality, it’s more like this: You grab [...]
Too many marketers think repurposing content is simply a way to make up for poor planning or last-minute requests. Need a blog post by tomorrow but no one to write it? Just slap a new lede on one from last month. Can’t track down approvals on the guide that’s being promoted in next week’s pay-per-click [...]
If you're like me, you cringe when you hear someone on reality TV say, "Don't take it personal." At that moment, I fear that it will catch on like wildfire across the world and this will be adopted as a new language rule. The correct way to express this sentiment is: "Don't take it personally." [...]
What's the difference between among and between? Or is it among between and among? Just some copy editor humor there. :::crickets::: But really, what is the difference and when do you use these two words? Actually, it's not as clear as you might think. Generally speaking, "between" is used when referring to one-to-one relationships. "Among" [...]
Is it “Mike and me” or “Mike and I”? Well, it depends on how you and Mike are involved. If you and Mike are the subject of the sentence, then you should use “I.” If you and Mike are the object, use “me.” Mike and I are going to a movie. [...]
If you think Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, you’ve never been on Twitter the day the Associated Press (AP) releases its annual style updates. Each year, the news co-op adds entries for new or newly popular terms, adds context to existing entries and sometimes, to the chagrin of many copy editors the [...]
Writer’s block looks different in everyone. Movies like to show writers tossing endless balls of crumpled up paper at an overflowing trash can when they can’t find the right words. Some people stare blankly at their computer screen. Personally, I clean and organize. Or I bake. Bad writer’s block = lots of cake. We [...]
At first, the thought of hiring a ghostwriter was inconceivable to me. I love to write, and I’m good at it, so why would I ever hire someone to do it for me? Sure, I had brought in writers to help me with projects, but hiring someone to actually write on my behalf? No, thank [...]
