I regularly use a headline analyzer to see if the titles I’ve come up with are impactful. For the most part it does a good job, and I’m learning what words have more punch – at least as far as the programmers of the analyzer believe. (That is another rant altogether.) Admittedly, I am cheap… Continue Reading
I admit it, I am a below-average driver – as evidenced by the multiple dings in my car. I tend to speed, I get impatient, and I’ve been known to look over the wrong shoulder. There are several reasons why I have no problem confessing to my below-average status: I know worse drivers. No one… Continue Reading
As a writer, people have been expressing concern for my business because of ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) applications that are so popular. That’s not the writing I do. What ChatGPT Writes I am far from being an expert at ChatGPT, AI, and many other things. Here’s what I’ve learned about ChatGPT and other… Continue Reading
I was going over something for a client recently that put me in Annoyed Editor Mode. The first paragraph did several subject jumps that I found more than a touch confusing. I pointed out the problem, “how did we go from subject A, to subject B, to subject C?” and I made a general suggestion… Continue Reading
I volunteer at the San Francisco Writers Conference doing my “get sh!t done” thing. Specifically, I do logistical management of the 8-minute consultations (previously of just the editors, now of all of them). Having done this for several years with a core group of editors, I’ve become well known for my ability to perform scheduling… Continue Reading
I once had a coaching assignment: come up with 100 adjectives for myself. Even as a Word Nerd, this was a stretch for me. Someone suggested that I ask others – it’s only cheating if I feel that it’s cheating. Nope, not cheating. With my list somewhere in the 70s, a friend looked at me… Continue Reading
This little quip is thanks to Chuck Rosenberg, he said it on The Racheal Maddow Show a couple of years ago (at least, that’s when I heard it) and I knew I would have to do something with it. First off, it is important to understand that – as a humungous organization – nothing the… Continue Reading
*** DISCLAIMER: I am not advocating being nasty or hurting people’s feelings.Just being creative when you are and might. *** One of the best reasons to have an expansive vocabulary is so that you can insult people with style. Crassly insulting someone/thing in public is generally frowned upon. For example, “you’re f-ing ugly” is a… Continue Reading
I read large quantities of fantasy because reading for myself is an escape. I want something dramatic to happen quickly, I want magic, “mythical” creatures and/or futuristic technology, and I want the bad guy to die violently (even if reincarnated for the next book) in the end. I’m a big fan of the Paranormal and… Continue Reading
It is so much easier for me to blog for other people than for myself. Clients give me a topic and some points on their opinion of said topic and away I go. I can even help clients come up with topics. After that, it just happens. Would I call myself inspired? Not always. Yet… Continue Reading