We're writing shorter and shorter emails these days, making brevity the name of the game. Yet are you committing email mistakes that could cost you business relationships? Let's look at how to improve one-to-one emails.
Read moreThe art of the handwritten note (+ 31 templates!)
As a deep lover of the handwritten letter, I have a huge stash of stationery and cards. Yet even as a writer, when I sit down to compose a letter or greeting card message to a loved one, I'm often stumped. I tend to cycle through a few versions before hitting upon exactly what I want to say.
We're all stumped from time to time. To that end, I've created 31 templates for a handful of occasions. Feel free to borrow and tweak for your next handwritten note.
Read moreGet the most out of your limited writing time
Once you've carved out the time to get down to writing business, there are some habits to break, steps to take and apps to employ to make sure you get the most out of your 15 minutes here, 30 minutes there.
Read moreDo this one thing while writing (or else)
The really wonderful trait about really wonderful writers is their flexible language. They can spin one heck of a sentence. Yet it isn’t always necessary, and when there’s too much of it, it doesn’t work.
There’s one thing I do with every piece of writing I compose — from a novel to an email to a blog post (hey, like this one!).
Read moreHow to write a love poem (without barfing)
As Plato said, at the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet. And I have one piece of poetry-writing advice that will save you a headache.
Read more7 questions to ask before ditching your writing
Many writers get far into a project only to toss it. Are you one of them? There's no shame in knowing a piece isn't meant to be; I wish I had a better sense of it for my own work, an inner direction for moving on or digging in.
How do you know when to give up on a piece of writing?
Read moreWhen writing isn't magic and you want to tear out your hair
When creativity happens, you're in the flow, and it's a golden moment. You rush to record that freight train's message then sit back in applause for your genius.
That's cute. That's sweet. I could punch something.
Read moreAre you building strong connections with your tribe?
I wrote this headline and immediately gave myself pause, because I think my answer is no, I'm not. There's a big difference between connections (social media followers) and strong connections (selfless relationships). As entrepreneurs, we place a huge emphasis on gaining a following in the hopes of earning clients, but first, we have to earn our community's selfless trust.
Read more6 ways to push through writer’s block
There’s no wrong way to set up your writing environment for success.
Here are six parameters I’ve found that work for me, and I’d love to hear what’s worked for you, too.
Read moreWhy you should narrow your content's focus
It’s a good thing to have so many ideas, and we definitely don't want to change your creativity, yet perfecting your work's niche is vital to its success. In marketing, we talk about focused calls to action: What do you want your reader to do with what you've told them? You can pick one thing. Okay, sometimes the situation calls for two CTAs, but let's put constraints on ourselves to see what happens: Pick one thing. Here's how.
Read more