Monthly Archives: January 2015

I’m a neatnik. I like everything to be in its place, and in written material, typos and spelling errors drive me nuts.  Now there’s evidence that beyond being sloppy and annoying, such mistakes can repel customers, especially in the world … Read More

This week I volunteered at an arts camp for kids. I handed out sandwiches and wiped off tables and absorbed the children’s joy as they painted pictures, took photos, and improvised dance moves. Leaving my comfort zone and entering a room … Read More

The blank page can be intimidating. Why not think of it as a “mystery box”?  This suggestion comes from writer, director, and producer J.J. Abrams in his lively 18-minute talk on TED, the nonprofit group that sponsors annual conferences featuring … Read More

Where have I been? Working too much!  Not writing my blog, obviously. I’ve had some big projects, technical writing and project management mostly, that leave me too tired at the end of the day to write for fun. Last night, … Read More

I love today’s joke on the New Yorker page-a-day calendar. One guy says to another: “It’s not a word I can put into feelings.” It’s so funny to me that when I first saw it in the magazine, I clipped it … Read More

Do you know the meaning of the word “stromuhr”? It’s an instrument for measuring the velocity of blood flow. And if someone asked you to spell it (and you weren’t reading it here), would you know how? Me neither. But … Read More

I do a lot of original writing, but a good share of my work is revamping other people’s material to make it more crisp, clear, and powerful. Today I tackled this sentence: “After you complete your interview, it’s good practice … Read More

I get lost in my head too much. I fail to notice interesting things around me because I’m thinking about how I’ll tackle an assignment, planning what to pick up at the grocery store, or worrying about whether my IRA funds … Read More

I’ve been a big reader my whole life. Can’t imagine an existence without books, and I’m so grateful for all the things writers produce that add pleasure to my life: movies, poetry, plays, articles, great TV scripts. So why don’t … Read More